Love vs Jealousy
by Yamamoto-Niki-Chan
Summary: Bad with summaries, but here we goo; Amu is new in school and has a tough/cool attitude. When she meets Tadase, who has a jealous ex-girlfriend, the ex-girlfriend starts bullying her for hanging around Tadase. What will Amu and Tadase do to stop the bullying? TADAMU
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey people! Though I'd upload this for once. It's been in my computer for months. Rated T for violence and slight language. Genre 2 put as Drama because 1: I couldn't think of anything, and 2: even though it may be slightly funny, it's not HILARIOUSLY funny. Original/Alternate title: Love overcomes bullying. Lame, I know. That's why I changed it.**_

_**Amu: ANOTHER fan fic?**_

_**Niki: Psh. It's not as if I'm still working on 'Love Story'. And 'Ikuto's Lost Love' was a one shot. Oh, and for the people that wanted me to make a Tadase P.o.V of it, I'm working on it now...along with an OHSHC (Ouran High School Host Club) one, a SM (Sailor Moon) one, a couple more Tadamu ones, and 3 K-Pop ones.**_

**_Tadase: Don't you think you have too much stuff to write, Niki-san?_**

**_Niki: Nah. Not sure how to make one of my K-Pop ones continue, and too lazy to finish any of the others. At least with this one, I have the 1st 11 chapters. I just gotta edit them because I'm crappy when it comes to fan fics._**

**_Ikuto: -mutters- Lazy a*s. (Excuse language. Put where fit. And it sounds like something Ikuto would say.)_**

**_Niki: Shaddup, hentai neko. Now, someone do the disclaimer, please._**

**_Saaya: I'll do it!_**

**_Niki: Holy shiet. Saaya when did you get here?_**

**_Saaya: Well, I am in this fan fic..._**

**_Niki: True...well, then take it away._**

**_Saaya: Niki-san doesn't own Shugo Chara, nor it's characters. She only owns the OC added in the future chapters. The other OC in future chappies is her FF bestie/lil' sis, Eva/Ama._**

**_Niki: Well done. ^^ Enjoy!_**

**_Sentences/words with the * behind them are Japanese. They'll be translated at the end of the chapter. Though most of the stuff is pretty common knowledge though...to me._**

* * *

_**Love Overcomes Bullying**_

Chapter 1: The New Kid

As Hinamori Amu, your typical rebel teenager, walked into her new high school, she noticed there were a lot of people staring at her. She didn't like it much, but she knew the reason she was getting so much attention. It was the middle of first semester, what would you expect? If you saw a new kid walking through the door with her uniform all dressed up with punk-ish things, would you stare? Amu was already starting to miss all of her all friends from her old school. She glanced at all the girls and boys looking at her and sighed.

"What? Haven't you ever seen a new kid before?" she said harshly. "Jeez."

All the kids jumped slightly at her tough tone and hurriedly went back to what they were doing. She smirked slightly and looked for her locker. She found it quicker than she expected and opened it. She took her books out and was about to close her locker and walk away when a cute boy walked up to the locker beside hers.

'_Kawaii__*__! He's so cute!_'she thought but quickly shook her head. 'No Amu, you're trying to act like a rebel at this school. You're not supposed to be thinking about cute boys!'

Just then, the boy turned toward Amu, allowing her to see his face properly. He had silky blonde hair with a few pieces that fell in his face and crimson eyes that even Amu could drown in. He was a bit taller than she was, but he didn't look have an intimidating look like most of the other boys in the school.

As soon as the boy saw Amu, he swooned slightly. '_Whoa, she's...cute!_'

He then smiled. "Hello! You must be Hinamori Amu-san, the new student here. I'm Hotori Tadase, the principle's son. Welcome to Guardian High." he held his hand out to Amu, who rejected it. The boy just smiled again.

"So, you've welcomed me..." Amu muttered. "Why are you still here?"

"You're in the same class as me, so I thought I should walk you there." Tadase replied with another sweet smile.

Amu's toughness broke for a moment and she blushed, but quickly went back to a straight face. "Fine, just go, I'll follow."

"Alright, just let me grab my books." Tadase said, noticing Amu's break in composure. He turned back towards his open locker and took out the books he needed. He closed his locker and turned back to Amu. "Okay, let's go."

"Yeah, whatever," Amu said, trying not to blush at his cuteness. "Just go already."

Tadase just nodded and walked to where his class was with Amu following behind.

They entered class and Tadase walked up to the teacher and whispered something to him. The teacher nodded and Tadase went to sit in his spot.

"Good morning class!" the Teacher said. The students mumbled a half-hearted good morning back to the teacher and he continued. "It looks like we have a new student!"

The teacher had messy ginger hair, in an even messier pigtail, and a beige suit with the pale blue shirt, half tucked into his bottoms. He had glasses, and his voice sounded like he was on helium.

As he attempted to walk over to Amu, he slipped on a piece of loose-leaf paper that fell off of someone's desk. A couple of the students laughed and he got and returned the paper to its rightful owner, not noticing the insult to Amu written on it. The teacher steered Amu to the center of the room.

"Class, this is..." he began but seemed to have forgotten Amu's name.

"Amu." Amu told the teacher. "Hinamori Amu."

"Right!" the teacher said. "Class, this is Himamori Amu."

"It's _Hina_mori!" Amu corrected.

"Ah, gomen* _Hima_mori-san." the teacher said, still saying Amu's name wrong.

"Ugh, can I just go sit down?" Amu asked annoyance in her voice.

"Ah, sure Himamori-san." the teacher replied. "You can sit beside Hotori-kun."

Amu nodded and sat in the seat she was assigned to, which was near the window. The teacher did a quick attendance and the class started.

Morning classes ended and lunch came around. Amu was just getting her lunch out when she heard a voice call her name. She turned and saw that Tadase was waiting for her, his lunch already in his hands.

"Yes?" Amu asked, crossing her arms and putting her back against the locker next to her open one. "Why are you waiting for me?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to eat lunch with me," Tadase replied smiling. "You know, since you're new and don't have much or any friends."

Amu hesitated. She wanted to go; she really did, but wondered what would happen. She had quite a few male friends at her old school, but she never had a crush on any of them. Most of them she considered as brothers or close friends. She actually never actually thought they were _that_ cute anyways.

Sure, they were good-looking people, but they weren't the kind of people Amu wanted in a boyfriend. She wondered if Tadase was the right person for her, but immediately pushed that thought out of her mind. The look on Tadase's face when she looked at him again made her almost blush. She paused and thought of something that sounded reluctant but not at the same time.

Finally, she said, "I guess I'll go. But only because you want me to."

Tadase smiled. "Great! I know a great spot where we can eat!"

Amu couldn't help but smirk slightly at Tadase's enthusiasm. "Let's just go."

"Alright. Just follow me." Tadase replied.

"What, you think I'll just stay behind?"

Tadase laughed slightly, almost making Amu blush again. His laugh was really cute sounding.

He turned and walked towards the school's closest exit, Amu close behind, deep in her thoughts. They arrived at the spot a few minutes later.

The area was small, yet lovely. Trees shaded the area from too much sun and colorful flowers dotted the green grass.

Amu couldn't help it when she said, "Sugoi*!"

"I almost always eat out here." Tadase explained. "I used to eat here with my ex-girlfriend, Yamabuki Saaya, but after I broke up with her, she stopped talking to me."

Amu nodded, trying to ignore the part where he said he used to have a girlfriend...not that she really cared.

She suddenly let her words get the best of her when she spoke in the kind tone she used at her old school, "_Mmm_,I can see why you like it here. It's lovely."

_'You're more lovely then this place.' _Tadase thought. _'I just wish you always talked the way you did just now. It's cute.' _

He smiled and gave a nod. "Yeah, it is. I like to think here."

"What was your ex like?" Amu suddenly blurted out. She quickly added coolly, "Not that I care or anything…!"

"She was alright. Pretty, but obsessive and a little pushy." Tadase replied, unfazed by her sudden question.

"Ah, souka*." Amu said taking something from her lunch. "Why did you break up with her? Other than being pushy and obsessive I mean."

Amu realized she was speaking in her kind tone again and crossed her arms. "Not that I really care." she added stubbornly.

Tadase didn't reply, causing Amu to get nervous. She didn't mean to upset Tadase, and make him hate her.

"Oh, gomen. Am I getting too personal?" She asked, slightly concerned.

"Ah, no, Hinamori-san." Tadase said finally. "It's just, the reason I broke up with Saaya is an, er… awkward topic that I usually don't like to tell to anyone..."

"Oh...well..." she assumed a stubborn pose, going back into her 'cool' mode, "You didn't have to tell me anyways."

Tadase laughed. "You didn't let me finish." he paused then continued. "I don't usually like to tell anyone…But for you...I will."

Shocked, Amu replied, "Hontoni*?"

"Hai*, but...it's a little embarrassing to talk about..."

"Carry on. I can handle anything."

"Alright...This happened about a year ago. Saaya and I were...doing stuff in her house-"

"By stuff you mean making out, right?" Amu cut in, smirking slightly.

"Hai...but after a while she...she started to try to unbutton my shirt...I stopped...you know...with her and asked her what she was doing.

"She spoke in a seductive voice when she said, '_Oh, come on Tadase! You know what I want.'_ and I backed up a little. I asked her if she knew how old we were, but she just claimed that everyone did it at a young age now-a-days..."

Amu gasped quietly as she realized in shock what Tadase was getting to, "Wait...you mean...she wanted to…er, how do I put this? Um…make love? She wanted to make love to you?"

"Uh, yeah…I guess you can put it that way," Tadase replied quietly. "I yelled at her and then left. That's all."

"Oh, wow..." Amu muttered. "I don't think I'd want to be her girlfriend if I was a dude."

"Yeah...Anyhow, do you mind if I leave for a couple minutes? I've gotta go do something quickly."

"I don't care." Amu replied coolly, knowing he had to go to the washroom, but didn't want to admit it. Tadase smiled and jogged down the hill and into the school.

* * *

_**A/N: Now for the translation of the Japanese phrases/words.**_

_**Kawaii: Cute**_

_**Gomen: Sorry**_

_**Sugoi: Has many different translations, which includes, awesome, cool or sweet.**_

_**Souka: I see**_

_**Hontoni: Really?**_

_**Hai: Is common knowledge for otaku's. Means yes.**_

_**Anyways, sorry if this chapter is boring...if I get 3 or more reviews, I'll put up chap. 2, so keep your eyes open.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: New chapter, YAY! Wow, I didn't expect I'd get 3 reviews so fast! Thank you all, I love you! (in a completely non homo or relationship way). Also, beware of OOC-ness. One more thing: not sure if the thing will put the word in, but I'm sorry for calling Amu's mother...homosexual. Then again, the term 'gay' also means happy/joy.**_

_**Amu: What happens now?**_

_**Niki: Can't say. Then I'd be spoiling it. Even though it's pretty much stated in the 2nd-ish paragraph.**_

_**Saaya: Well since the chapter is called 'The Bullying Begins'...I'd assume I come in (Sorry if any of my readers like Saaya.).**_

_**Niki: Bingo. To those who didn't know, Saaya is the bad guy in this. As I stated in the summary, Tadase has a jealous ex. Saaya's the ex.**_

_**Tadase: ...I dated Yamabuki-san?**_

_**Saaya: -squeals- My dreams have come trueee. **_

_**Niki: -rolls eyes- How many loves have you had?**_

_**Saaya: ONLY TWO!**_

_**Niki: ...Right. Kuukai and Tadase. **_

_**Kuukai: You called?**_

_**Niki: Great! Why don't you do the disclaimer! ^^**_

_**Kuukai: Alright. Niki doesn't own SC. She only own the school uniform, and whatever accessories she put on Amu's.**_

_**Niki: Yay! Now read away my friends. ^^**_

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 2: The Bullying Begins

Amu slowly began to eat her lunch, while waiting for Tadase to come back, but also tried to maintain her mean act at the same time. If someone passed the area and looked at Amu, she'd glare at them, say "Scram!" and make them run away.

Then she heard the sound of someone approaching and looked up, expecting either Tadase or another person just staring at her.

It was another person. She glared at the girl, who was standing several feet away from where she was sitting but the girl didn't move.

"Yes?" she asked looking the girl up and down.

Her brown-ish, red curly hair came down around her shoulders and her skin was slightly pale. Jealousy and distaste shone in her sharp emerald green eyes as she glared at Amu with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What are _you _doing eating lunch with _my _boyfriend in _my _spot?" the girl asked bitterly.

"And who might _you _be?" Amu retorted.

"_I _am Yamabuki Saaya. Tadase's _girlfriend_." the girl replied.

Amu's eyes widened in recognition of the name then she stood up. Saaya was about the same height as her.

"Who are to call Tadase-kun your boyfriend when he broke up with you?" Amu asked her face emotionless.

Saaya scowled. "None of your business, Hinamori Amu."

"Alright, fine then." Amu replied.

"Tadase wouldn't like you anyways." Saaya bragged.

"And just why not?" Amu gritted her teeth.

"Your hair." Saaya replied simply then added. "It's the wrong color."

Amu covered her head with her hands in attempt to hide her bubblegum pink hair.

"Wh-what's wrong with it?" Amu asked defensively, breaking her calm and composed manner.

"Like I said, it's the color." Saaya responded blandly. "I mean, who likes pink hair?"

"My mama does!" Amu took a step forward.

Saaya glared at her. "Well your 'mama' is _GAY_!"

"M-my mama IS _NOT_ GAY!" Amu exclaimed, rage welling up inside her.

"And what's up with your uniform?" Saaya added, ignoring Amu's raged outburst.

Amu glanced down at her uniform. It was a pale blue plaid skirt, like every girl, white dress shirt under a black jacket with an armband the same color as her skirt attached to her right sleeve by a safety pin. Under her skirt were black thigh high fishnet stockings, and on her feet were knee high combat boots with pale blue laces. Her hair was up in two small half ponies by small pale blue cross clips.

"Yeah, I'm punk," she said through gritted teeth. She was getting annoyed now. "What's your point?"

"My point is, being punk means you're a loner," Saaya explained, "Meaning _you _shouldn't be with _my _Tadase or _ANYONE _else!"

Just then, Tadase jogged back up to the area. Neither Amu nor Saaya noticed him.

"You can't tell me who I can and can't hang out with!" Amu exclaimed.

Saaya clenched her fist and raised it, intending to punch Amu, but as she was bringing it down, Tadase grabbed her wrist. Saaya spun around to see who stopped her.

When she saw Tadase standing there, she stammered, "T-Tadase!"

"Saaya! What were you doing to Hinamori-san?!" he asked, letting go of her wrist.

"She...she started it!" Saaya complained.

Tadase shook his head pitifully, looked at Amu, and said, "I highly doubt Hinamori-san would start a fight, let alone an argument."

Saaya huffed angrily and crossed her arms. "Fine," She growled. "But I'm _never _going to stop bugging your little _friend_!"

"Saaya!" Tadase said, raising his voice. "Leave. _NOW_!"

Saaya looked like she was about to say something, probably an insult to Amu again, but Tadase slapped her.

"This is _exactly _why I broke up with you Saaya!" he said. Annoyance was clearly heard in his voice. "You're too pushy and _never _let me hang with girls, even if they're just my friends!" He took a breath and continued. "Now, never go near me or Hinamori-san _ever _again! You aren't my girlfriend anymore!"

Saaya looked like she'd been punched in the gut. Tadase just stared at her, and yelled, "GO!" leaving Saaya to jump and run off somewhere.

Tadase turned to where Amu was, on her knees on the ground. She'd collapsed after almost getting punched by Saaya and witnessing Tadase slap Saaya in the face. Tadase knelt down beside Amu and looked at her. Her head was down.

"Ne*, Hinamori-san, look at me." Tadase said, trying to get Amu to look up. She shook her head, so he went on. "Onegai*? Saaya's gone now." he gently tilted Amu's chin up, making her look at him. Tears streaked along her delicate face.

Saaya's words had gotten to her. Usually, a 'tough' person wouldn't care about being teased about how they look, but Amu wasn't really that tough at all. She just acted like it. A new school, a new attitude is how she put it.

"Doshitano*, Hinamori-san?" Tadase asked, noticing the tears.

"D-do you think my hair is stupid?" she replied with a question.

Tadase's eyes widened slightly. "No! What would make you think that?!"

"S-Saaya told me my hair was stupid _and _that my mom was gay..." Amu sniffed.

Tadase suddenly pulled Amu into a comforting hug and said, "I am so sorry Hinamori-san! I'm sorry Saaya said those cruel things to you."

Shocked, Amu just sat there like an idiot as Tadase hugged her.

"I promise Saaya will never, _ever _do anything to hurt you. Mentally or physically." Tadase whispered to Amu.

She nodded slightly. "O-okay..."

Slowly, she began to become more comfortable and hugged Tadase back. He smiled slightly when she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Nee, Hinamori-san..?" Tadase asked

"H-hai Tadase-kun?" Amu replied

"You wouldn't mind if I called you Amu-chan, would you?"

"Huh? Oh…um...i-iie*, I don't mind…"

"Arigatou*…Amu-chan!" Tadase pulled back from the hug and wiped Amu's tears with his jacket sleeve. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. We'll use the teacher's bathroom since I can't go into the girl's washroom and you can't go into the boys."

Amu smiled slightly. "Hai…" she said quietly and Tadase stood up, holding his hand out to help her up. Fortunately, he didn't let Amu's hand go. He smiled, squeezed her hand gently then they made her way into the school.

* * *

_**A/N: And time for the translation of the Japanese phrases/words! (Sorry if there are any repeats of translations from the 1st chappy)**_

_**Ne: The word 'ne' translates to two things, I believe. Hey and right. In this case, the word is 'hey'**_

_**Onegai: Please**_

_**Doshitano: What's wrong?**_

_**Iie: These last two should be common Japanese knowledge. This word means no.**_

_**Arigatou: And finally, this word means thank you. Most people should know this one.**_

_**Alright, thanks for reading :3. Can I get 3 more reviews for a 3rd chappy? ^^ I love reading your reviews. Ja-ne* [last minute translation: Ja-ne means see you.]**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I think I'll start replying to my reviews in this Author's Notes. (PS: sorry if I get your name wrong)**_

_**kitty210: I'm glad you like it. Here's the update you wanted. ^^**_

_**321BlueBlossomM123: I'm glad my story makes you keep reading. If you couldn't keep your eyes off of the screen in the last 2 chapters, you'll love this one. Here's the update you puppy dog pouted for. xD**_

_**And finally, to an anti fan guest, AMUTO: Wow, you're rude. First of all, why are you even here if you don't like Tadamu. My penname clearly states I like Tadamu, so yes, I do believe in Tadamu. I know Shugo Chara ends with Amuto, I'm not stupid, but as long as people like my stories, I'm happy. I don't need flamers like you to screw everything up. Flamers don't stop my from running. There are lots of people that 'believe' in Tadamu. That's why I post these fan fictions. If you don't mind, go take a chill pill and eff off. (To my TRUE readers: sorry for the ALMOST swear.)**_

**_No character chats for me any more for a little while. ^^ Hope you don't mind. c: Also, this chappy is a little violent and intense I guess. I hope you don't mind that either._**

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 3: Saaya Gets Revenge

School ended and Tadase asked if he could walk home with Amu. She tried her best to make her reply reluctant, but she also wanted to show her…better side to Tadase.

"So," Tadase said as they walked. "Do you have any siblings?"

Amu nodded. "Yeah. I have a little sister."

"Oh?" Tadase asked. "What's her name?"

"Ami. She's 9 now but she still acts like she did when she was 4."

Tadase laughed. "She sounds cute. Do you like her?"

"Well, she's annoying as Hell, but I _am _her sister, so I suppose I'm obliged to like her."

Tadase smiled slightly. "Does she like you?"

"Oh, God yes." Amu said. "She _loves _me. She thinks I'm the best thing in the world. Well, besides Hoshina Utau."

Tadase laughed again, but it sounded a little nervous. He knew Hoshina Utau, and they had a difficult past. "Do you mind if I meet her?"

"If you like. I don't care really."

Tadase once again smiled. "Great! But first, I think I should change and drop my stuff off at my house."

"Alright." Amu said.

"Okay!" Tadase replied. "I'll see you here in about 10 minutes."

"Hai...Ja-ne…*"

"Ja-ne!" Tadase waved and jogged off in the other direction.

Amu was about to turn around when she got pulled into a headlock by someone. She struggled slightly, but only ended up in more trouble when a pocketknife was put up against her throat.

"Stop struggling or this is going to be the last day of your life." the person hissed. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from my boyfriend?"

Amu gritted her teeth. She knew exactly who was trying to kill her now. "Yamabuki Saaya..." she yelped slightly as the tip of the knife touched her skin. "D-don't you know Ta—Tadase-kun isn't your b-boy—"

She got thrown down on the cement and slashed in the face. Thankfully, it was only a graze.

"Shut up or that cut is going to get deeper." Saaya threatened.

"You—you're trying to kill me...just because—" Saaya slashed her in the arm and Amu winced. "—b-because I'm hanging out with your ex?"

Saaya scowled. "Maybe. Why should you care?"

"But he doesn't like-like me!" Amu protested. "How could he if he just met me today, anyways?"

"Oh? Well ever thought of love at first sight?" Saaya scoffed. "Are you blind or something not to realize it? He protected you when I tried to punch you, he _slapped _me in the face for bullying you, he suddenly hugged you, _and _he even asked if he could call you 'Amu-chan'."

"W-wait..." Amu thought for a second. "Y-you never left when Tadase told you to?"

Saaya smirked. "Psh, of course not. I hid behind a tree." she bragged. "He told you I'd never hurt you physically or mentally, but what am I doing now? Oh, that's right, I'm hurting you physically. And Tadase isn't here to save you."

"Y-you're just jealous." Amu said wincing as she removed her hand from the cut on her arm. "You're jealous that I'm hanging out with your ex-boyfriend. You still _love _him!"

"Of course I still love him! But I _am not _jealous!" Saaya slashed 2 more times but Amu rolled to the side, barely missing the second slash.

Amu held the place Saaya managed to slice her; her leg, then rolled over again to look at Saaya. "If…if you're not jealous, then why are you doing this to me?" Blood was seeping from the two other cuts on her body, mostly the cut on her arm and leg.

"Because you are a no good, ugly piece of _SHIT_!" Saaya growled, slashed her other leg, then jumped up and ran away.

Amu groaned and sat up, but yelped in pain as she put pressure on one of her cut legs and fell back on her back.

Not soon after she fell on her back, she blacked out. Most likely because of blood loss or the sight of her own blood on the cement. When she gained her semi-conscious back, she heard a voice calling her name urgently.

"Amu-chan! Amu-chan, stay with me! You can't die on me! You—you just can't!" the voice sounded vaguely familiar to Amu but since her thoughts weren't that clear yet, she couldn't tell who the owner of the voice was.

"Amu-chan! Don't make me use mouth-to-mouth on you!" the person said, then added quietly—but still loud enough for Amu to hear—, "H-hey…that's not a bad idea actually. Doesn't it technically classify as a kiss? Wait, what am I thinking? Isn't mouth-to-mouth only used when someone almost drowns?"

Amu tried her hardest not to blush and opened her eyes, revealing the mysterious, but familiar, voice.

"Ta—Tadase-kun..!"

Tadase sighed with relief. "Oh, thank God you're alive, Amu-chan!" He hugged her but Amu yelped slightly.

Tadase, who had accidentally brushed against one of her cuts, quickly let go and looked at Amu with concern.

"Oh, my God! I am _so _sorry Amu-chan!" he exclaimed.

"I-it's okay..." Amu muttered, glancing at her visible cuts.

"Amu-chan… What—what happened?" Tadase asked. "Your forehead is bleeding...and your arm...and your legs." he reached up and touched Amu's forehead, wiping the blood off the cut on it.

Amu tried not to blush. "I—I—Saaya..." was all Amu could get out at first, but she managed to continue, "S-she had a pocket knife, and... She called me a no good piece of...of shit..."

"A-Amu-chan..." Tadase muttered. He looked at Amu's cuts. "Saaya did _all _ofthisto you?"

Amu nodded. "Hai...And she told me you had experienced love at first sight with me..."

Tadase looked away. "Just…don't believe anything Saaya says...she—she's just jealous."

"Tadase...kun?"

"Come on." Tadase stood up, not looking back at Amu. "Let's get you home...or possibly to the hospital. Can you walk?"

Amu tried to stand up, but as soon as she put pressure on her legs, she winced and almost fell. If it weren't for Tadase catching her, she would've fallen flat on her face.

"Alright…I guess I'll have to carry you then..."

Amu blushed slightly, but looked away. "H-hai..."

"Hold on to my neck." Tadase said. Amu obeyed and Tadase hoisted her onto his back.

Amu yelped slightly in both surprise and pain. Pain because Tadase accidentally touched a cut on her leg.

"Oh! Gomen, Amu-chan!" Tadase said. "Daijoubu desuka*?"

"H-hai, daijoubu desu*."

After a while, Tadase heard soft snoring. He looked over and saw Amu fast asleep. He smiled slightly.

"She looks so cute when she's sleeping…" he said quietly to himself. Then he shook his head slightly. "No. I can't think like that...Amu-chan probably doesn't think of me in that way anyways."

"No…no, stop! W-what are you trying to do to him?! STOP!" Amu muttered in her sleep. She woke up pretty fast after that.

"A-Amu-chan..." Tadase stuttered. "You alright?"

"Ara*? Oh, hai." Amu replied. "It was just a bad dream..."

"Care to share the bad dream?" Tadase asked.

"Um...No, thank you..." Amu replied.

"Alright." Tadase replied. "Why don't you go back to sleep then."

"M'kay..." Amu rested her head on Tadase's shoulder.

Once Amu's breathing got lighter, signaling she was fully asleep, Tadase sighed.

"Poor girl…" he muttered, "But, why would Saaya try to kill such an innocent girl like Amu-chan?"

Amu's grip on Tadase's neck tightened slightly, but not tight enough to choke him.

Finally, Tadase arrived at the hospital, but since Amu was still fast asleep, Tadase, thought it would be useless to wake her up yet, and just walked into to the hospital with her still in his arms.

"Um...Shitsureishima*, nurse? Someone?" he called. "My friend just got attacked by someone with a pocket knife. She's got a few deep cuts."

Two nurses, that must have heard Tadase's call, came by and looked Amu over carefully. One of the nurses had blonde hair and blue eyes and the other had black hair and brown eyes.

"Oh, goodness!" the black haired nurse exclaimed. "How did you find this poor young lady, sir?"

"I was supposed to meet her somewhere so I could go to her house, but left for a few minutes, then when I came back I found her unconscious." Tadase explained.

"Well is she still unconscious?"

"No, she's asleep...I hope…"

"You hope?" the blonde nurse spoke up. "Oh dear…"

"I'll wake her up then." Tadase said. He adjusted her on his back; in hopes that the sudden jerk would wake her up. It didn't work, so he said, "Amu-chan... Amu-chan, wake up."

"Hmm..?" Amu moaned and opened her eyes. "Nani*...?"

"We're in a hospital." Tadase explained. "Some nurses want to give you a check-up."

"Oh!" Amu exclaimed, almost jumping off of Tadase's back.

He fixed his grip on her quickly, making sure she didn't fall and hurt herself more.

Tadase smiled. "I don't think it would be a good idea to jump off of my back if you can't walk yet, Amu-chan."

The nurses giggled as Tadase gently allowed Amu off of his back. She hobbled beside Tadase and leaned on him for support.

"We'll go find you a room, sweetie." the black haired nurse said. "Just wait here for a while."

With that being said, the two nurses walked away to find Amu a room to get checked up in.

* * *

_**A/N: Now for the translations. I used few uncommon word in this chapter.**_

_**Ja-ne: I translated it in my last minute translation in the last chapter, but I'll translate it again. Means see you. Another form of see you is matta-ne.**_

_**Daijoubu desuka: Are you alright/okay?**_

_**Daijoubu desu: I'm alright/okay. BTW, the u on desu is silent.**_

_**Ara: I'm pretty sure this means 'huh'.**_

_**Shitsureishima: Excuse me.**_

_**Nani: What?**_

_**Hope you enjoyed, and watch out for the * in my future chapters. I tend to use Japanese when I can. 3 more reviews for an update? You guys have been doing well so far. ^^ Ja-ne! **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Wow guys. You review REALLY fast. Maybe I should change the amount of reviews. xD This story is heating up now! As you can tell by the chapter title I have, something really amazing happens. [Yes, Amu. You're reading it correctly.]**_

_**Now, for the review replies:**_

_**Diamond Spirit: Not sure if I understand your 'less than 3' part, but thanks for reading and reviewing. And Saaya is always trying to beat Amu in some way anyways. I'm glad you like my story. ^^**_

_**JenniN313: I'm glad you like it. ^^ I originally had Tadase's ex as Rima, but my friend, thankfully, made me change it. xD**_

_**ShugoChara4eva: I love Shugo Chara as well. I've watched the anime 2 or 3 times. ^^ Glad there I more Tadamu fans out there. Hope you enjoy this story more. ^^**_

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 4: Amu's First Kiss?!

Tadase helped Amu down into a chair carefully then sat in the chair next to her and looked at her.

"So..." he began, trying to start up a conversation.

"I heard what you said on the way here..." Amu suddenly blurted out, which caused Tadase to panic slightly.

"W-what do you mean?" he stammered.

Amu looked down. "You said you thought I looked cute when I sleep..."

"I-is that all you heard?" Tadase asked.

"H-hai..." Amu admitted.

"Okay, good..." he said, but then quickly added, "I-I mean...How was your sleep?"

"It was...alright..." Amu replied. "B-by the way, you're hair smells n-nice…"

Tadase couldn't hide the blush coming so he looked away. "Th-thanks..."

"D-do you like me?" Amu suddenly asked.

"W-what?!" Tadase exclaimed, his head snapping back in Amu's direction, "No! Well…I mean, I like you...but not—not in_ t__hat_ way..."

"O-okay..." Amu said quietly.

They both sat in silence after that. It was a very awkward silence in fact. Until the nurses came back of course. They told Amu to follow them, so she stood up carefully.

Tadase quickly snatched Amu's hand before she left and squeezed it. "Stay strong, Amu-chan!"

Amu nodded and Tadase let go of her hand, allowing her follow the nurses slowly.

As she left, Tadase thought about a lot of things but he pushed all the thoughts—that mostly revolved around Amu's safety—out of his mind and sighed.

"I hope Amu-chan isn't hurt too bad..." he mumbled, "I will seriously kill Saaya if she lays another finger on Amu-chan."

Then a horrible thought donned onto him and he dropped his head into his hand.

"Chikusho*! This is my entire fault!" he said to himself. "I shouldn't have gone to get changed. I should have just stayed with Amu-chan!"

Twenty or so minutes later, Amu came back out with the nurses trailing not far behind. She sat down in the chair beside him.

"Please, tell me you're okay." Tadase said immediately.

Amu nodded. "Un*, I'm fine. Not too much blood loss thankfully, but the doctor said I'll be wearing gauze and stuff for a while. And that's a disadvantage because one of the cuts is just under where my uniform skirt stops."

"Ah, yokatta*!" Tadase exclaimed, and hugged Amu, who winced but awkwardly hugged him back.

The sound of the nurses giggling made Amu immediately let go of Tadase and look away.

"Kanko-san! Meridian-san! What is it now?" she asked.

"We'd like to speak to a parent or guardian." the blonde one said.

"Alright Kanko-san..." Amu replied.

She took out her cellphone and dialed her house number, then put the phone on speaker. After a few rings, a child's voice answered.

"Hinamori residence, who's speaking?"

"Ami! Is Mama or Papa home?" Amu asked, automatically recognizing the voice. '_I wonder how long it took for Mama and Papa to get her to say that._'

"Oh, hi, Onee-chan*!" Ami exclaimed. "I'll go get Mama!"

There was some shuffling and movement on the other side, until finally, another voice could be heard.

"Amu-chan? What's wrong, you should have been home a half an hour ago!"

"M-mama..." Amu began nervously. "I'm at the hospital...The nurses want to speak with you."

"What?!" Amu's mother exclaimed. "You're in the _hospital_?!"

"H-hai Mama..." Amu replied quietly.

"She got attacked." Tadase spoke up. "With a pocket knife."

"Tadase-kun! You didn't need to add the last part!" Amu exclaimed. "Oh, and that was my new friend Hotori Tadase-kun."

"Hold on, dear...did your friend just say you got attacked?!" Amu's mom exclaimed once again. "By whom?!"

"Uh, that'd be my ex-girlfriend..." Tadase said.

"Amu-chan, your new friend is a boy?" Amu's mom asked, even though Amu included the male honorific when she mentioned his name.

"A BOY?!" a new voice exploded in the background of another line.

Amu sighed and rolled her eyes. "Papa, I'm sixteen years old for God's sake!"

"Sixteen is still too young to me!" Amu's dad cried his voice fully audible now. "If I was mayor, I'd make a law for kids to be able to date at the age of 25!"

Amu just ignored her father. "Mama, as I said before, the nurses want to talk to you."

"Alright dear." Amu's mom replied, trying to speak over Amu's fathers complaining and whining.

"Hinamori-san, since your daughter got attacked with a knife, she has 4 cuts on her body…" the black haired one, Meridian, informed.

"But we are grateful to inform you, the only major ones are on her legs just under where her uniform skirt stops." Kanko finished.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Amu's mom said, sighing with relief.

"Is my Amu-chan injured?!" Amu's dad asked in the background.

"Not badly Papa." Amu said, "Just some cuts. Moreover, would you _please_ stop embarrassing me in front of everyone! This is on speaker you know!"

"Does she need any treatment?" Amu's mom asked. "Like gauze or something?"

"We've already put gauze on, so you can come and get some so she can change them if she needs to." Meridian said.

"Alright. So, how long does she need them for?"

"Well I guess it depends. As a nurse I'd say about 1-2 weeks, but I guess until the bleeding seems to stop."

"Alright. Well, Amu-chan. I'll come over, pay for whatever needs to be paid for, and pick you and your friend up."

"Arigatou*, Mama. But can Tadase-kun stay for a while?" Amu asked. "Like, at our house?"

"That's fine with me. Papa on the other hand...Anyways, I'll see you in a while." Amu's mom replied. "Until then."

"Un. Ja-ne Mama." Amu said then hung up and closed her phone.

"Your parents seem..." Tadase began.

"Weird?" Amu suggested. "Or maybe crazy?"

"No, not weird, or crazy." Tadase said. "I was trying to say, your parents seem nice. A little funny, as well. In the good way."

"Ha-ha. No. Once you get used to them, they get annoying. Especially Papa."

Tadase chuckled and shook his head. "On the contrary, I don't get annoyed very easily."

"Well," Meridian said. "We'll leave you two alone until your mother come Hinamori-san."

Kanko giggled and turned to follow her friend.

Once the two girls were out of sight, Amu looked over at Tadase.

"T-Tadase-kun..." she muttered, "Do you...like me?"

"I...I already told you." Tadase replied averting his gaze away from Amu. "I don't l-like you..."

"Then why are you stuttering." Amu asked, trying to get Tadase to look at her again. "_And_ not looking at me?"

"I-I am not stuttering!" he exclaimed looking at Amu.

"Yes, Tadase-kun, you are..." Amu sighed. She had an idea, but it wouldn't help her situation to see if Tadase liked her. "I-if you like me...K-kiss me...If you don't...s-still k-kiss me..."

"Eh?!" Tadase exclaimed, looking around. "I-in public?!"

"Where else...?" Amu asked, trying to sound tough, though inside her stomach was doing somersaults.

"Well...um..."

"Well? I only gave you one choice. You kiss me…wh-whether you like me or not."

Tadase blushed and reluctantly leaned in to kiss Amu. It was only a quick 3-second peck, but Amu was dying on the inside.

"G-gomen-nasai*..." he muttered, bowing his head slightly.

Amu was blushing too. "I-iie...It's fine."

After that, they sat in an awkward silence until Amu's mom finally arrived to pick them up and pay for the gauze and check-up.

* * *

_**A/N: Well how was that? Hope you enjoyed Amu's first kiss with Tadase. c:**_

_**Translation time!**_

_**Chikusho: I believe this means damn or dammit.**_

_**Un: Unsure if I already translated it, but I think it's either 'yup' or a sound used to say yes. **_

_**Ah, yokatta: Oh, thank God.**_

_**Onee-chan: Older sister.**_

_**Arigatou: I may have already translated this, but most people should know this means 'thank you'. If you don't, there's the translation.**_

_**Gomen-nasai: A more formal way of saying sorry. Kind of like 'I'm sorry'.**_

_**Now, How about we change the review for the next update to...four. Because at the rate this is going at, I'll be updating every day. xD Stay tuned for more. [Tadase, Amu and Saaya told me to say: I hope you liked this so far.] Bye!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_******A/N: Hey guys. I'm back with chappy 5! Oh yeah, sorry if the title of the chapters (as in the title before Chapter x: jdugfsh) says Love Overcomes Bullying. That was the original title, but sometimes I forget to change it. I got 5 reviews this time! Thanks for all the support on this story. ^^**_

_**Amulet Misty: Lol, good idea. xD Filing for assault. But that might be going a little TOO far. xDD And, noo, Tadase didn't do the mouth-to-mouth. He was just thinking of doing it. Thanks for supporting this fic. I'm glad you like it. c:**_

_**kitty210: Here's the update you asked for. Hope you like it. c:**_

_**Diamond Spirit: I see what you did there. :o That's smart. xD Here's the update. ^^**_

_**321BlueBlossoM123: Lol, have fun with that. Just don't get caught. c; Thanks for being a supportive reader, Miss Blossom. Here's the update you've been waiting for. Thus, no need to wait anymore...until the next chapter. Lawl.**_

_**Lily02249: I'm glad you like this, Miss Lily. I'm happy there are more Tadamu fans out there. ^^**_

_**For once there's not much Japanese in this chapter. On another note, I just started high school, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update. I'll try my best, but I'm hoping to get good grades this year, and that means homework and studying. I hope you'll understand if my updating becomes sparse. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**_

_**Now, for the disclaimer because I've been forgetting to do it for the past few chapters...xD: I do not own Shugo Chara, it's characters or anything else mentioned in this story except some parts of Amu's bedroom, Saaya's WAYY OCC-ness, and the clothing she's going to wear in some of the episodes. Shugo Chara belongs to Peachpit. **_

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 5: Meet the Family

As soon as Tadase, Amu, her mom, and her sister got into the car, Amu sat in between Ami and Tadase. She leaned into Ami slightly.

"When we get home, please, don't yell out that Tadase-kun is my boyfriend. Because he's not." She whispered.

Ami nodded. "Hai! I won't say that your boy...friend, is your _boyfriend_. Onee-chan doesn't have a boyfriend yet, so Ami-chan won't say so!"

Amu smiled and patted her little sisters' head. "There's a good girl."

Tadase smiled slightly and nudged Amu slightly to get her attention.

Amu looked at him, trying not to think about what happened in the hospital before her mom got there.

"You sure know how to deal with your little sister." Tadase said, smiling.

"Well, like I said before, she loves me." Amu replied with a shrug.

Tadase chuckled. "I can see that now."

"Tadase-kun...Did you feel _anything _when you kissed me?" Amu suddenly blurted out quietly without thinking.

Tadase hesitated slightly, trying to figure out how to answer.

"N-no...I didn't feel a thing." he replied finally.

Tadase actually enjoyed the peck, even though it was short. If he had the guts to kiss her again, he probably would. He obviously wouldn't tell that to Amu though. That'd be _very _embarrassing.

Unsatisfied with Tadase's hesitant answer, Amu asked again, "Tadase. Did you feel anything? I'm just curious."

Tadase sighed. "I-it was nice...soft and warm..."

Amu wasn't sure if she heard him right. "Pardon?"

"It was soft...and warm." Tadase said a little louder, but still not loud enough for Amu's mom to hear and wonder what they were saying.

Amu hadn't expected such an honest answer. She blushed slightly. "H-hontoni...?"

"I—I suppose so..." Tadase replied, also blushing now.

Amu hoped Ami wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. "S-say...i-if we kissed...does that mean were...t-together?"

Tadase's blush deepened. "N-no...We're just friends...j-just friends..."

Amu nodded slightly. "A-alright, good..."

"Y-yeah..."

When Amu's mom finally reached the house, the 4 got out of the car, walked toward the house and, after the door was unlocked and opened, went inside.

"Honey!" Amu's mom called. "We're home!"

From out of nowhere, Amu's dad ran into view, but when he spotted Tadase, he stopped short. "D-dear?! Why is a _boy _here?!"

Amu sighed and rolled her eyes. "Papa, he's just a friend. You don't have to overreact. Do you _really _expect me to have a boyfriend on my first day at a new school?"

Amu's dad laughed nervously. "Oh...uh, right..."

"Hello Hinamori-kun." Tadase greeted. "I'm Hotori Tadase."

Give Tadase a stern looked, Amu's dad said, "You have no relationship going on with my Amu-chan?"

Tadase shook his head. "We're just friends."

"Alright, then, welcome to our house Hotori-kun!" Amu's dad said with a small smile.

"Amu-chan, why don't you take Tadase-kun to your room?" Amu's mom suggested, causing her dad to freak out again.

"Why her room?! What if Hotori-kun tries something?!"

Amu sighed. "Papa, he's not going to try anything on me."

Amu's dad sighed in defeat. "Fine...go ahead."

"Alright! Come on Tadase-kun." Amu risked grabbing Tadase's wrist gently.

She led Tadase up the stairs and into her bedroom.

When Tadase saw Amu's room, he gasped slightly and smiled. '_Such a cute bedroom._'

Her walls were painted in two colors, and the color scheme followed those two colors. Two of the walls were pink and two of the walls were white. On her bed was a pink comforter with pink and white pillows. There was even a Hello Kitty pillow. Near the bed on the floor were 2 pink beanbag chairs, which they sat on, and a white table. He spotted a balcony with pink curtains, and a glass desk in the corner near the balcony.

"Wow..." Tadase muttered.

"W-what? You don't believe someone punk can like carnation pink?" Amu asked, trying to act tough.

"I didn't say that. All I said was wow." Tadase said. "I like it. It's cute. Just like—" _…you._

"What? Like what?" Amu asked. Curiosity was getting the best of her, once again.

"N-never mind. It's…nothing, I promise…" Tadase replied.

Amu shrugged. "Do you want anything to drink or something?"

"Uh, sure."

"Anything specific?"

"Japanese tea is fine, thanks."

"Alright, I'll get my mom to make some. She's probably making cookies anyways." Amu stood up. "Oh, speaking of Japanese tea, my best friend before I came here made the best Japanese tea and scones."

"Really? I know someone that makes pretty good Japanese tea and scones too."

Amu nodded. "Honto*? Sugoi*! Anyways, I'll be right back."

"Alright."

With that, Amu left her room and went down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen where her mother was making chocolate chip cookies for them.

"Mama, could you make some Japanese tea for Tadase-kun and I?" Amu asked her mother.

"Hmm? Oh, sure, Hun." Amu's mom replied.

"Arigatou, Mama!" Amu beamed, then ran back upstairs toward her room.

Meanwhile, back in Amu's room, just after she'd left Tadase alone in her room, Tadase somehow found himself thinking about her; her beautiful, unique bubblegum pink hair, those stunning honey like eyes of hers, and the smile she'd only showed a few times.

"Amu-chan..." he whispered quietly. "Why do I feel so…happy when you're around me?"

He thought back to the kiss Amu had _technically _forced him into doing. He probably would have done it anyways eventually. Her lips...were so soft. It was a type of kiss he'd shared with Saaya many times before, yet, it felt better with Amu for some reason.

After a while, the more Tadase thought about the kiss, his faster his heart rate went up. Finally, he realized he was blushing after he wondered what it would be actually be likegive Amu a kiss. Not just a peck... something more.

'_Is this a crush..._' he wondered. '_...Or is it true love?_'

He pondered about that question for a while, but wasn't able to figure out the answer. _Did _he actually love her? Finally, he gave up, exasperated that he couldn't figure out the answer to his own question, and waited for Amu to come back.

However, yet again, he found himself thinking about her. He felt a little worried and sad...as if he was missing Amu. He didn't understand why or how. She'd only been gone for like 2 or 3 minutes.

Standing up, he sighed and paced around Amu's room, exploring it slightly. The room seemed so…her. Though she acted cold, she was actually sweet, shy, and nice.

In her half-opened closet, he noticed it was all punk like. Yet, her room was so cute and girl-ish. He smiled slightly, sat back down, and waited for Amu to come back, making sure his mind didn't find its way back to Amu.

* * *

_**A/N: I really hope this chapter wasn't too boring. Dx I edited a lot out of this because it didn't fit, so it may be a little short. Anyways, translation time! For once there's only 2 words here.**_

_**Honto: I already went over 'hontoni', but I figured since 'honto' is different and the Japanese language has multiple meanings for one word. Honto is just a shortened form of hontoni, which means really.**_

_**Sugoi: I remember I went over this..but people can forget. It's got a few meanings. Awesome, cool, sweet or the likes is pretty much that it means.**_

_**Review please, and be patient for updates. Byee. ^^**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Short chapter is short. /shot I was just copying from the chapter I had in my note book. I did add some more words as I was editing though.**_

_**Anyways here's the update everyone wanted. ^^ Surprisingly, no Japanese you need to learn in this chappy. Meaningful Amu and Tadase moment! xD**_

_**Lily02249: Alright...-thinks of flower name- Can I call you Ivy-chan then? I've always loved that name. Ivy. xD I don't hate any of those either. But both of those boys are kinda like brothers to Amu in my thoughts. Lol, what's wrong with Len? I only really listen to Luka and Miku, but the Kagamine twins are pretty cute. xD But I agree about hating Ikuto. Just...not a lot. You like your crush, but you hate him. Well...I'm actually in that predicament too, so I can't say anything about it being odd. Noo, I didn't do it to annoy you! Maybe I should've called you Lily-san instead of 'Miss Lily'..^^; Don't worry, I get off topic a lot too. xD**_

_**Tsukiyomi Aori Hotori: Already replied to Aori-chan's review in a PM. **_

_**Kitty210: It's fine, but I was wondering what you meant by firing inside. xD**_

_**Guest: Well, very random story. What did you bet on? xD Glad you like this though.**_

_**Amulet Misty: Hah, yep. -in sing-song voice- Tadase's falling in looove. Ikr. She's completely bold. c; The boldest person in the world! Rofl. xDD**_

_**Also: I've only been limited to 3 hours a day on the computer, so that also might slow down my updating. So sorry if I update late. DD:**_

_**Hope you enjoy this chapter that I've made longer by this A/N! Again, sorry it's so short. ^^;**_

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 6: Close Friends

Amu re-entered her room, sat back down in the beanbag, and told Tadase her mother was coming up with cookies and tea in a few minutes. Tadase nodded but neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Tadase said, "I'm glad you didn't lose too much blood, Amu-chan."

Amu looked away slightly. "And, why is that…?"

"Well, I've only known you for a day, so I kinda would like to get to know you a little better...but, if you'd have lost too much blood, you would've most likely died..." Tadase replied softly, a small smile appearing on his lips. "...I don't really want you to die yet. You're too young and you've got an amazing future going for you. I can tell."

Amu couldn't help but blush, but she managed to reflect Tadase's smile, whispering, "Arigatou...Tadase-kun."

"For what?" Tadase asked, confused.

"For everything. Saving me when Saaya tried to hit me for example. In addition, for letting me—the one person that everyone is afraid of—have lunch with you, and for telling me not to believe Saaya when she told me I was stupid and that my mom was gay." Amu took a breath then continued. "For finding me after Saaya had assaulted me and taking me to the hospital. Finally, for anything else you did for me today, even though you just met me."

With all of that said, Amu suddenly hugged Tadase. Unfazed, Tadase just hugged back gently and smiled again.

"Amu-chan..." he said.

Amu pulled back. "Hmm? What is it Tadase-kun?"

"W-would it be weird…if I considered you a _really _close friend, even though I just met you...?"

Amu shook her head. "Iie...considering all the stuff that happened today, it feels like you've been my best friend for years."

"Okay, good." Tadase smiled. "So...just in case something happens, for example if Saaya attacks you again as you're walking to school, why don't we set up a meeting spot so we can walk together?"

"Um...sure." Amu replied. "...I guess we can do that..."

"Alright…" Tadase thought for a second. "How about at the lamp post a block from your house? The one near the park."

"Sounds fine to me."

"Great!" Tadase beamed.

Not a second later, there was a knock on Amu's closed door.

"Come in!" Amu called, knowing it was her mom.

The door opened and Amu's mom walked in carrying a tray with chocolate chip cookies and tea on it.

"Arigatou, Mama." Amu said, taking the tray from her mother carefully.

Amu's mom smiled. "No problem, dear. If you need anything else, don't be afraid to ask."

Then she walked out of Amu's room and shut the door behind her. Carefully, Amu picked up the teapot, hoping she wouldn't spill the hot liquid inside, and poured some tea for Tadase and herself.

They continued talking for a little while, but then Tadase stood up from Amu's bed.

"Well, I think I should get going." He said. "If my dad's home yet, he's probably worried sick."

Amu stood up too and opened the door for Tadase. She followed him out of her room and down the stairs.

Once they got to the door, she said "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Tadase put on his jacket and shoes then opened the front door.

"Bye, Amu-chan. Meet you by the park tomorrow." he said and walked out of her house.

He stopped at the end of the walkway, turned, and quickly waved before running of in another direction.

Amu smiled and waved back then shut the door. She, then, ran back up the stairs and into her room to get changed into some normal clothing.

* * *

_**A/N: It's so short. DD: Why must it be only 613 words?! (with out the Author's Note I mean)**_

_**Yay! Amu's been promoted to a really close friend! :D Lol, so has Tadase though. :33**_

_**No translations today. OMG it's the end of the world! I haven't used a new Japanese word/phrase in this fan fic! :o**_

_**Haha, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for more!**_

_**~Niki-chan. c:**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Heya guys! I only got 3 reviews on my previous chapter, and it'd been a while for me to wait for more reviews. I get it, school's started and you're all busy. I'll change it back to 3 reviews now. Anyways, **_

_**Lily02249: Well, good to know. My 'crush' doesn't talk to me anymore. . And alright. I shall call you Ivy-chan. ^^ **_

_**Aori-chan (because I'm too lazy to write your full name, sorry. ^^;): Lol. My friends and I have made up an abbreviation for when you're saying 'I love you' to a close friend. It's IANHW (In a non-homo way). Feel free to use it if you like. ^^ I'm sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for the last one. Though it may be a little boring. I'm not exactly sure when I'll make them start dating. You've just got to wait.**_

_**Amulet Misty: That's true...but I prefer longer ones...chapters I mean...-cough- I wasn't thinking anything inappropriate...^^; I agree. Yay! Lol I'm so cheesy. u_u**_

_**Okay, I hope you enjoy. ^^ I personally think this is a little boring, but we all have different opinions, right?**_

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 7: An Invitation

The next day, Amu made her way to where she and Tadase set their meeting spot. When she got close, she noticed that Tadase was already there, leaning against the lamppost wearing the pale blue males uniform for the school.

"Ohayo*, Amu-chan!" he greeted cheerfully when Amu neared Tadase.

"Ohayo, Tadase-kun." Amu replied.

The two began walking in the direction on the school in a momentary silence.

"So..." Tadase said, trying to start up a conversation and break the silence. "I'm on the student council."

"Oh? That's cool." Amu replied.

"Yeah, there are supposed to be eight spots, but after I broke up with Saaya, she quit."

"Hmm... And why are you telling me this?"

"Well..." Tadase said slowly. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in her spot..."

"Are the other members nice?" Amu asked

Tadase nodded. "Just to name a few, one of them can be cold and/or mean at first, but she's nice and funny once you get to know her. Another one is really cheerful and full of pep. She's the cheer captain of our school. There's also one that's overly obsessed with fashion, but is very talented at drawing. The others are nice too though."

"Oh. Well, I'll think about it." Amu mumbled.

"Excellent!" Tadase exclaimed. "The meeting is after school, so you've got until then to make up your mind." He smiled.

Finally, they arrived at the school, and as soon as the people (mostly girls) spotted Tadase, they squealed, greeted, and/or smiled at him. He greeted a few quickly, but only fully greeted one.

"Ohayo, Tadase!" the girl said cheerfully. She had curly black hair and friendly emerald green eyes. Her uniform was similar to Amu's, but instead of a jacket over top of the white dress shirt, she had a vest.

"Ohayo, Niki-chan," Tadase said, then looked beside the girl and greeted a girl beside her. The other girl looked around a year younger than Niki with black hair with a blue streak in it and crystal blue eyes. "And, good morning to you too Eva-chan."

"Ohayo Tadase-kun!" the girl—Eva—beamed, waving slightly.

"Have you two met Amu-chan?" Tadase asked as they began to walk together.

Niki shook her head and greeted Amu, "Hello! My name is Yamamoto Niki. You can call me Niki-chan, or whatever. This is my little sister Yamamoto Evangeline. You can call her Eva for short."

"Konnichiwa* Niki." Amu replied, nodding at Niki. She nodded at Eva after. "Konnichiwa Eva, I'm Hinamori Amu."

"Nice to meet you Amu-chan!" Niki beamed.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you." Eva agreed.

"I've invited Amu-chan to today's student council meeting, Niki-chan. She said she's going to think about coming." Tadase said. "Oh, class should be starting soon! We should get going. See you at the meeting, Niki-chan."

"Ja-ne Tadase!" Niki beamed and ran off to the 8-9 wings, not waiting for her sister.

"Bye-bye Tadase-kun." Eva said waving. She ran after her sister.

As the beginning school went by, all Amu could think about was the events that happened the day before. She also thought about the student council offer Tadase gave her. But mostly the events from the day before. Meeting Tadase, picking a fight with Saaya, Saaya attacking her, Tadase saving/helping her, Tadase carrying her to the hospital, that strange dream she had that somehow involved Tadase, etc. She realized it all had to do with Tadase in some way.

The only thing she couldn't get out of her mind was the peck Tadase gave her. It was short but it made her feel…special? She wondered if Tadase actually _wanted _to kiss her.

Nevertheless, she knew how pointless it was to think that, since she said to kiss her whether Tadase liked her or not and even if he didn't like he, he'd still have to. Still, she'd wanted to experiment something. Now she didn't know if Tadase meant the kiss or not.

_I guess I just have to wait until he tells me or shows a sign that he likes me._ Amu thought with a sigh.

Finally, lunch came around Amu ate outside with Tadase again. Actually, as of recent, she did pretty much everything with Tadase. She'd even heard people say that her and Tadase would make a cute couple, they'd even name a couple name for them—two actually—Tadamu or Amase. Personally, Amu liked Tadamu better, even though all she did was blush slightly at the thought of her and Tadase dating.

By the end of the day, the two knew almost everything about each other. For example, Tadase knew why Amu had to switch schools, what most of her old friends were like, and that Amu acted stubborn and tough around unfamiliar people, or when she was nervous. Amu also knew about the dead dog Tadase used to have, whose name was Betty, his ill grandmother, and his 'siblings' Utau—who Amu learned was the actual Hoshina Utau—and someone named Ikuto, though Amu noticed that when Tadase had said this Ikuto guys' name, his voice was slightly bitter.

"So…Amu-chan...?" Tadase began as Amu was packing up after last period. "Have you decided whether you want join student council yet? It's all right if you don't want to. But I'd be _really _happy if you did." Tadase continued with a cute smile.

Amu hesitated, but that only caused Tadase to pout. Finally, she said, "Fine, I'll join. Only because you want me to though. I don't plan on making any friends."

"Alright!" Tadase beamed. "But I'm quite positive you're going to make friends, Amu-chan."

"Yeah?" Amu smirked. "We'll see about that."

Tadase smiled. "Yeah, whatever. Now come on. We're going to be late!"

"Hai, hai." Amu replied, putting her last book in her messenger bag.

She closed the bag, flung it over her shoulder, and followed Tadase to where the student council was, chatting all the way.

* * *

_**Only 2 Japanese terms this time. I don't know if I mentioned one before though. I probably did, but whatever. Reviews are good right? There are some accents on the Japanese, but I'd rather not add them in to my fics.**_

_**Ohayo: Good Morning**_

_**Konnichiwa: As most people should know is 'hello'.**_

_**That's all for today guys! I hope you didn't think this chapter was too boring...Until next chapter! Ja-ne. :3**_


	8. Chapter 8

_******Yay! New chappy! Got 3 reviews faster than I thought I would. xD This is a long chapter for once. It's 1,098 words without these Author's Notes. Time to reply to reviews! PS: I forgot to mention this, but the character, Eva, is my best friend on here's OC. Niki is mine. Eva's pen-name is too long to type though..xD**_

_**Tadamu4eva741: I'm glad you chose this fic as something to read! I hope you enjoy it so far. ^^ Not exactly sure what you mean when you say it'snot fair for Tadase to call Amu, Amu-CHAN. He's just so formal, so he calls people by their surnames.**_

_**Ivy-chan: Yes, Amu's chara's are in this fic. They're actually in this chapter. Their just...human. My 'crush' isn't in any of my classes. I don't really care anyways. He ignores me completely when he's around me. Lol, I hit people too. Just if they're annoying me though. This one guy in my Art class thinks I would beat someone up though...I'm not THAT abusive.**_

_**Aori-chan: Lol, nope. Isn't that surprising!? It's like 'OMG Tadase, confess!' xD And I know it's also Hello. And Konbanwa can be Hello in the evening. Here's the update you wanted! ^^ I hope you like it. c: Feel free to critique my Japanese in here because I know it's probably going to be wrong. xD**_

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 8: Student Council

When the two got to the student council meeting room, Amu couldn't help but gasp at the sight in front of her. They were standing inside a beautiful greenhouse like room with various colorful flowers and a fare sized table in the middle of it all with 8 chairs. All of the chairs but two were taken up. Amu assumed they two were for Tadase and herself.

"There you are Hotori-kun!" a boy with long purple-ish hair and golden eyes—that reminded Amu of her best friend at her old school—said as he spotted Tadase.

"You're late Tadase." a petite looking blonde haired girl with honey eyes said blankly as she sipped some tea.

"Ah, gomen Mashiro-san, minna-san." Tadase said, walking towards the table.

"Oh, it seems you've brought a guest." a girl with ginger hair in two long pony tales and orange-ish eyes, with a diamond headband on, noticed.

"Yes, I did." Tadase agreed. "Minna-san, this is Hinamori Amu-chan. She just transferred here yesterday."

"Yo." Amu said coolly with a wave of her hand. "Nice to meet'cha."

"Going in order, let me introduce you to everyone." Tadase told Amu. "Over there sitting in the chair closest to you is Mashiro Rima."

The girl simply nodded at Amu and said, "Hello."

Her voice was cold and emotionless. It freaked Amu out a little.

"Beside her is Fujisaki Nagihiko." Tadase continued.

Fujisaki...the name sounded familiar to Amu.

The boy smiled. "Hajimemashite*, Amu-chan."

"Next to Fujisaki-kun are the sisters, Ran..."

"Hi, hi!" Ran, who had pink hair a little darker than Amu's, said cheerfully.

"...Miki..."

A blue haired girl with a blue news boy cap just nodded.

"...Suu..."

Another blonde haired girl, her hair in two slim ponies, smiled. "Hello there, desu~"

"And Dia."

"Hello," The ginger girl that had spoken before said. "Pleasure to meet you."

"And, lastly, though you met her this morning, Yamamoto Niki."

"Hiya, Tadase!" Niki beamed. "And I'm glad you decided to join today, Amu-chan!"

"Well, like I said before, it's nice to meet you all." Amu said.

Everyone nodded in reply and Tadase grabbed Amu's arm gently to lead her to her spot, which was beside Nagihiko. He took the seat beside her.

Speaking about the way Tadase lead Amu to her spot, Rima said, "Ohh~ Do I sense love?"

One of Amu's old friends used to do that a lot if she blushed when one of her guy-friends complimented. Except she'd call it a 'mood'.

Tadase tried his best not to blush or stutter as he said, "N-no…ahem, no Mashiro-san. We're just friends. Ne, Amu-chan?"

"Huh? Oh!" Amu nodded quickly. "Yes, definitely. Just friends!"

"Alright…whatever you guys say..." Rima said. "But I'll be watching you, Tadase!"

"Is she always like that?" Amu whispered to Tadase.

"Usually, yes..." Tadase replied.

"Ah...souka*..." Amu said. _Well, I__'m__ most certainly __never __going around boys if she's with me._

"Anyways!" Nagihiko cut in, noticing the glare he received from Rima, but not caring. "Hotori-kun, shouldn't we be starting the meeting?"

"Oh, right." Tadase said. "Does anyone have a complaint, idea, or request from the students?"

Niki looked at the paper in front of her, and raised her hand as if she was still in class. "Hai! I do! Someone said they wanted less school work!"

Rima rolled her eyes. "Niki, we're not the ones that how much homework/schoolwork students get."

"I know that!" Niki said.

"Well why did you say it?" Rima sipped her tea.

"I know what you're thinking, but I did _not _say that! Some other kid did!"

"Whatever you say, Niki..."

Niki crossed her arms and pouted. "Humph."

Amu laughed nervously and leaned towards Tadase to whisper to him. "I'm guessing those two are enemies..?"

Tadase chuckled. "Not really enemies...they're pretty much best friends. They just...tend to fight and argue a lot."

"Ah...so like frienimies? They're friends and enemies at the same time."

"Yeah, kind of."

"We are _not _frienimies!" Rima and Niki said unison.

They looked at each other, stuck their tongues out, and looked away with their arms crossed. Tadase laughed nervously and the meeting continued.

There was lots of laughter, and that made Amu show her true self. By the end of the meeting, Amu had made friends with Niki and Nagihiko, even though she challenged Tadase, saying she wouldn't.

"You see, Amu-chan!" Tadase said as they walked home together. "I told you you'd make friends!"

Amu nodded and placed her arms behind her head. "Yeah, whatever. Ne, Tadase-kun...?"

Tadase looked at Amu. "Hmm? What is it Amu-chan?"

"Do you know if Nagihiko-kun has a twin sister or something?"

"Um...no. Not that I know of. He never mentioned anything. Doshite*?"

"It's just...he kinda looks like my best friend from my old school..." Amu dug around in her messenger bag and pulled out her cell phone. She looked through her photos until she finally stopped at one and handed the phone to Tadase.

The photo was a picture of Amu standing in the middle surrounded by 2 girls and 2 boys. Amu was doing a peace sign beside a boy with brown-ish hair and green eyes who was giving bunny ears to a small ginger girl with her hair in two ponies held up with red bows and golden eyes. On Amu's left was a girl with purple hair similar to Nagihiko's with her arm around Amu's waist. She was linked arms with a boy with turquoise hair and blue eyes.

"Is the one with her arm wrapped around your waist the girl you're talking about?" Tadase asked, pointing to the girl.

Amu nodded sadly, taking the phone back from Tadase. "Her name is Nadeshiko, but my friends and I called her Nade for short. We used to be really close, but since I moved we barely talk anymore."

"Oh. Well you're right. She really does look like Fujisaki-kun."

Amu looked at the photo longingly before putting the phone back into her bag. "Oh, right! Nagihiko-kun's surname is Fujisaki."

"Yes, it is. Why? Is that Nadeshiko-san's surname too?"

"Yeah...it is...Do you think it's a coincident...?"

Tadase shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know, Amu-chan. Maybe you should ask him."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Amu smiled slightly.

"Oh, and it looks like we're at your house already." Tadase said.

"Huh?" Amu looked over. "Oh, well whatya know, we are. Well, ja-ne Tadase-kun!"

She walked up the walk and onto the steps. She quickly waved to Tadase before she opened the door and stepped inside. Before closing the door, she watched as Tadase waved back then walked away.

* * *

**_Translation time! Also, I hope this chappy wasn't too boring. ^^;_**

**_Hajimemashite: Nice to meet you. (Aori-chan, please tell me if this is right.)_**

**_Souka: I see. (Again, this might be wrong. Aori-chan, if you know this, please correct me if this is wrong.)_**

**_Doshite: Another form of saying 'why'. The others are either 'Nande' or 'Naze'._**

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter guys! Thanks for being such amazing readers. :3**_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Short chapter is short. I'm incredibly sorry. D: But I find this an entertaining and cliff hanger like chapter. I hope you do too. ^^**

**Ivy-chan: Meh. We used to be close friends, but then he got a girlfriend. Now I kinda dislike him. I was thinking of adding the charas, but I decided to only add Amu's in human form. But wow. Your sister's friend needs a counselor. No offense.  
**

**Aori-chan: Yup. xD Sorry for this short chapter, though. I hope you like it though. ^^ But I thought yoroshiku was for if you're saying 'Please take care of me.' that's that the animes always say when someone says that.**

**Rebecca: Well happy totally belated birthday. ^^ (review for chapt. 6)**

**Rebecca: Oh, I meant teal. It's supposed to be Kairi. And I hope you like this story then. ^^**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^ And I hope you don't mind it's short. D;**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 9: The Threat

"I'm home!" Amu called, closing the door behind her.

She removed her boots and replaced them with her pink slippers then hung up her book bag on a hook and shrugged out of the light jacket she was wearing over top of her uniform.

"Welcome home, Onee-chan!" Ami called back, running down the stairs. "There's an envelope on your bed!"

"What? There's an envelope on my bed?" Amu repeated, confused.

"Yup, an envelope; it has your name on it." Ami replied and tugged her older sister's sleeve. "Come see!"

Amu reluctantly allowed Ami to pull her up to her room, which was up the stairs on the 2nd floor of their house. They stopped in front of her bed.

"See?" Ami pointed to the letter that was placed neatly on her pillow.

'_Yes, Ami, I see the letter. I'm not blind._' Amu thought.

Instead, she just nodded and picked up the envelope. She opened it and took out the letter, quickly reading it in her head.

'_This…_' she thought nervously.

"What is it, Onee-chan?" Ami asked, trying to read what the letter said.

Amu folded it up, and put it back in the envelope. She put it under her pillow.

When Ami tried to make a grab for the envelope under the pillow, Amu sat on her bed and leaned on her pillow, making sure Ami had no way of getting to the letter.

"It's nothing important, Ami." She replied bleakly. "Go play on your laptop or something."

Ami pouted, but said, "Aw! Fine…Oh, well. I was getting bored anyways."

With that, Ami ran out of the room and Amu closed the door behind her. After hearing her sister's door close, she quickly stood up to lock her own door. She walked back over to her bed and pulled the letter from under her pillow.

She read it again and sighed sadly. Problem 1, her annoying sister pestering her, was solved, but now she had a second problem.

To make sure she wasn't going crazy, she read over the letter for a third time:

'_Hinamori Amu,_

_If I ever catch you hanging out _

_With my Tadase EVER again_

_You're going to die a horrible death._

_-Yamabuki Saaya'_

Knowing the letter was real now; Amu gulped, opened the desk to her drawer, and quickly threw the letter inside, hoping to pretend she never read it. She slammed the drawer shut and fled to her bed.

"I-iie…This…this can't be true…" she stammered, pulling her legs up to her chin.

She shook her head and thought for a moment. She grabbed her pink cellphone off of her nightstand and took a deep breathe.

* * *

**OMG. This chapter doesn't have any Japanese in it! Well Japanese that I haven't said. I did have a Japanese word, but I changed it because it probably would have been wrong. I hope you enjoy this! Keep up the reviews. ^^**

**-Niki **


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Yay for longer chapters! c: Yay for more Japanese words you may not know, too! Lol. This chappy is pretty interesting if you ask me. But I REALLY got fast reviews on the last chapter. Was it because it was so short? I'm sorry, again, for that. ^^; I hope this one makes up for it. c:**_

_**tadamu4eva754: Isn't it? I'm more glad I chose Saaya from the other person I was going to use. Then I shall call you Yaya 2. Lol, kidding. xD**_

_**xxoikilluoxx: Aw, I'm glad you like my fic! ^^ Here's the update you wanted~**_

_**Rebecca: I'd probably just start crying my eyes out. Or hope it's all just a dream.**_

_**Ivy-chan: Well that's interesting. My sister annoys me a lot, and we argue occasionally, but we don't exactly HATE each other. I'm not sure if my crush hates me, because I sometimes catch him looking at me, but he just won't talk to me. Over the summer, I saw him twice at Walmart. He didn't say one word to me. (I just find it creepy that both times we arrived and left the store at pretty much the same time). And I get what you're saying. But what I'm saying is they ARE in the story, but they are guardian characters, they're human beings. And there's only Amu's characters.**_

_**I hope you like this chappy~ I like it a lot. :3.**_

* * *

_**Love Overcomes Bullying**_

Chapter 10: Problems

"M-maybe Tadase-kun will know what to do…" she said as she tried to remember Tadase's home phone number.

Once she remembered, her fingers quickly fumbled across the number pad, making sure to hit the necessary numbers in the correct order. Finally, she put the phone against her ear and waited for a reply.

"_Moshi-moshi*?_" Tadase's voice answered.

Amu tried her hardest not to sound scared or nervous as she said, "Ta…Tadase-kun, it's me, Amu…"

"_Ah, konbanwa*, Amu-chan!_" Tadase said, though he must've heard something in Amu's voice because he added, "_Daijobu desuka, Amu-chan?_"

Amu hesitated, and almost lied, but then changed her mind. "U-um…iie…there's something I have to show you…"

"_What is it?_" Tadase asked concern clearly in his voice. "_Doshitano?_"

"C-can we meet somewhere, Tadase-kun?"

"_Un, sure thing, Amu-chan. Where do you want to meet though?_"

"Can it be somewhere private, please…?"

"_Hmm…? Doshite?_"

"I-it has something to do with the thing I need to show you."

"_Alright, Amu-chan. Meet me at the school doors. I'll be there waiting for you. We can talk on the roof where no one can see us._"

"E-eh?! Students are allowed on the roof?!"

Tadase chuckled. "_Yes, Amu-chan. Students are allowed on the room. Go to the school entrance doors and I'll be there to open the door for you, then I'll show you where the roof is."_

"Alright…" Amu said. "I'll be there in around 10-15 minutes."

"_Okay, Amu-chan. I'll be waiting, ja-ne!_"

"J-ja-ne Tadase-kun…" Amu said then closed her phone.

She stood up from her bed and walked toward her closet to find something to wear.

"I sure hope I don't get caught…" She said browsing through all of her tops.

She browsed around in her closet and drawers for a little while longer, but withdrew empty handed.

"I'll never make it if I can't find something stylish enough to wear!" she groaned then continued looking.

A couple minutes later, she pulled out a black and white checkered pleated skirt, a cute white button up blouse, and a pair of black and white thigh-high socks. After quickly stripping out of her uniform, she put the outfit on then grabbed the letter from her drawer and went downstairs to put on her combat boots.

Grabbing a black and gray striped sweater, she yelled out, "I'm going out!" to her family, then left the house, closing the door tightly behind her.

Once she was outside and fully aware her family couldn't see her, she put the letter in her sweater pocket and made a break for it towards the school.

As she suspected, Tadase was waiting for her outside the school entrance, waiting for her so he could unlock the door. She stopped in front of Tadase and panted.

"G-gomen." She stammered, still catching her breath. "I-I couldn't find something stylish enough to wear."

Tadase unlocked the door and smiled. "It's fine." He opened the door and held it open for her. When she walked in, he followed and re-locked the door. "Oh, and by the way, Amu-chan, I think you look cute." He added with a wink.

Amu flushed a bright pink. "A-arigatou, Tadase-kun…"

She followed Tadase in silence as he led her in the direction of the roof. They passed a few hallways they went through to go to their classes, until he finally stopped at a door near the English room labeled '_ROOF_'

_Wow, _Amu thought, _how did I not notice this while going to English class? _

Tadase pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door to the roof. They climbed up about 2 dozen metal stairs before coming across another door in which Tadase also unlocked with another key. He held it open for Amu and she stepped outside into the fresh spring air.

She looked around and smiled slightly, almost forgetting about the letter. "Wah~ Kirei-na*!"

She was referring to the view of the campus and Tadase smiled and agreed, but not about the view. He'd seen it far too many times to care. He was referring to Amu being pretty.

"So, what was it you wanted to show me?" Tadase asked. "You sounded a little scared on the phone."

Amu sighed and walked up to the railing of the roof and looked at the area briefly. She had been trying to forget about that. Tadase looked at her and walked up beside her, eyeing her out of the corner of his eye.

"When I walked into my house after I said good-bye to you after school today, Ami came down from her room and told me there was an envelope on my bed." Amu finally explained. "She dragged me up to my room and showed me where it was. When I read it…I…I found…Th-this…" She took the letter out of her pocket and handed it to Tadase. "H-here…just, read it…"

He took the letter and read over it slowly. As he finished the last few lines, his eyes widened and he gasped.

"Oh, wow." He said, giving the letter back to Amu. "It looks like we have a problem on our hands."

"D-doshiou*…Tadase-kun?" Amu asked nervously. "I-if we avoid each other so suddenly, I'm sure Saaya will be suspicious."

"Well, we could go to a counselor." Tadase suggested. "Then get Saaya in trouble anonymously."

It was awkwardly quiet for a while then, only the occasional gust of wind and chirp of a bird being heard. Tadase didn't realize Amu was crying until she sniffled slightly. She had her head turned in the other direction, concealing her emotions. Immediately, he hugged her and gently rubbed her back as he held her head against her chest.

"Shh, Amu-chan. Shh, it's alright." He whispered, attempting to stop Amu's crying. "Why are you crying so suddenly, Amu-chan?"

"I—I don't want to die…but I don't want to stop hanging around with you." Amu replied between deep breaths, trying to stop her crying as well. "But…but I also don't want to see you getting hurt because of me…"

"Oh, Amu-chan…" Tadase muttered. "One, you're not going to die, two, I promise I won't stop hanging around with you, and three, why would I get hurt?"

"Be—because Saaya could find out we're plotting to tell on her…"

As another tear rolled down Amu's cheek and land on Tadase's shirt, he hugged her a little bit tighter.

"Shh, don't worry, Amu-chan." He said in a voice soft enough to calm Amu down. "I don't think Saaya would sink deep enough to hurt her ex-boyfriend. Especially since I _know, _she's still in love with me. It's too bad I already like someone else now…"

Amu looked up at Tadase, tear streaks all over her cheeks. "Y-you like someone? Who…?"

Tadase hesitated, not expecting Amu to ask that. "U-um…that would be…" Tadase began, but trailed off. He would've liked to say, '_Amu-chan, you're the person I like._', but he thought it was too soon, since he only met her yesterday, so he said, "Uh…tell you what, ask me again in 2-3 weeks and I-I'll tell you, alright?" Tadase knew he was blushing, but hoped Amu didn't notice.

"Alright. I'll try and remind myself to ask later." Amu replied, pulling away from the hug, now feeling fine. Tadase just yanked her arm gently, sucking her back into the hug.

"Ta—Tadase-kun..?" Amu gasped.

"C-could we stay like this a little bit longer?" he asked, still blushing. "I-it's kind of nice…"

Amu couldn't say she didn't agree, so she just stood there silently as Tadase hugged her.

_Amu-chan…I like you, _Tadase thought, as Amu eventually, slowly hugged him back.

Finally, Tadase released Amu from his protective grip a couple minutes later, but still took her hand. Amu blushed, but to Tadase's surprise, didn't say a word.

_W-why do I feel such a strange feeling in my body? _Amu wondered. Her free hand came up to her head. _A-and why am I suddenly so…dizzy?_

Tadase squeezed Amu's hand gently. "Ne, Amu-chan? Daijobu desuka? You look a little pale…"

As if on cue, as soon as Tadase asked that, Amu fainted abruptly, and if it wasn't for Tadase, she would've fallen on the cement and hit her head.

* * *

_**A/N: How was that. There was quite a few Tadamu moments in this. ^^ Tadase's gotten bolder!**_

_**Moshi-moshi: Is hello when you're answering the phone.**_

_**Konbanwa: Is hello or Good evening (In this form, you can only say konbanwa as a hello in the evening)**_

_**Kire-na: I believe means pretty. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. ^^;**_

_**Doshiou: Means what should I do.**_

_**Well that's all the Japanese in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one! :33 The next chapters after chapter 11 might take a while to update because I only finished writing chapter 11, and I get lazy when it comes to typing/drawing/coloring. I get lazy when it comes to anything, actually. ^^; Please be patient.**_

_**-Niki ^^**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Wow, last chapter got BIG reception. I'm glad you guys loved it as much as I did. ^^ This one has some Tadamu in it too. c: Amu gets bold. ^^ I just realized I forgot to add something to the letter Saaya sent Amu. There was supposed to be 1 last line that said 'You have 3 strikes.'**_

_**tadamu4eva754: It's not that hard. I just go with a story I have a pretty good idea on what I want it to be about. You've just gotta stick to what you like. I'm glad I inspired you. **_

_**Aori-chan: Thanks. I was just going by what my Japanese books said. I think I trust you more than I trust my books now. xD**_

_**Ivy-chan: Wow, that's kinda weird. Usually I just get depressed when a character dies. Nah, he doesn't even know where I live, let alone when I go somewhere. Actually, none of my friends know where I live except one...xD My sister gets mad at me because my mom thinks I'm going to be taller than her. She claims I'm not allowed to be taller than someone older than me. I act nice. But I can be mean. But only to one of my friends. She annoys me a lot. But, wow, is your sister THAT lazy to not want to turn the light off herself?**_

_**321BlueBlossoM123: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I'll enjoy the cookies you gave me. -noms cookies-**_

_**Amulet Misty (may I call you Misty-chan?): Lol. She's crazy. I think she might be on something. Lol. Yeah, it'll happen pretty soon. But I'm not exactly sure when. You might not like this chapter because there's way more Japanese in this than I expected (and all of it is probably wrong in some way). Sorry. ^^;**_

_**I did get one more review, but it was for chapter 3. The person just corrected me in a way. Thanks Zhannell for correcting me. ^^**_

**_PS: Beware of the (most likely wrong) Japanese in this. There's quite a bit of it._**

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 12: Unexpected events

Why Amu had suddenly fainted like that, she had not a clue. She just suddenly felt dizzy then her vision went all blurry and everything went black. It could've been because of how overwhelmed she was, because she was crying too much, or simply subconsciously thinking of the ways Saaya could kill her. In fact, she already had a fair sized list in her head.

1. Stab her with a knife 15 or more times.

2. Shoot her in the head with a bullet.

3. Use some freaking strong thugs or whatever to beat her into pulp.

4. Poison her with something somehow. **(A/N: Wow, Amu, how cliché)**

5. Chop her head off. **(A/N: Oh, Amu. Where you watching European medieval time historical videos?)**

6. Shoot an arrow into her heart.

7. Hang her with her own uniform tie.

8. Push her off the roof. **(A/N: Amu let your imagination wander off to Tadase. If you keep going, you're going to have nightmares for a month.)**

9. Force her into a forest with hungry bears and such. (Though there are no forests around)

10. Strangle her to death, which is pretty similar to number 7.

There are probably lots more ways, but the farthest Amu would go was 10. If you think about it, the options are endless.

_Well that's great! _Amu thought sarcastically once she realized she could think now. _I'm probably going to have nightmares now… _**(A/N: I told you Amu.)**

She could vaguely hear someone calling her name, but since the voice sounded far off, she couldn't tell who it was. She tried to open her eyes, to see who it was, but for some reason she couldn't. It was as if she was dead, but she was clearly thinking, and she could pretty much feel and hear her heartbeat, booming in her ears, and to be honest, she wished it would stop.

Again, she tried to open her eyes, or move an arm, a leg, something, or anything, but it still didn't do anything.

_Dammit! _She thought. _Why can't I do anything?! _

"Amu-chan!" the voice called. The voice was clearer now, so Amu figured out it was Tadase. "Please wake up, Amu-chan! Pull it together! You—you can't die on me this time!"

Amu wanted to do something to prove she was alive and alright, but her mind didn't allow her to move or do anything but think and hear.

Then she felt a strong grip on her arms, then a feeling as if she was being shaken. Now her mind didn't let her do anything but think, hear and feel.

"Amu-chan, come one, please! Please, just wake up!" Tadase's voice sounded incredibly sad. It was as if he was holding back tears. "Open your eyes, dammit! Why won't you just open your eyes?! I can't lose you yet! I—I only just met you! You—you're the best female friend I could have, so please, wake up! I can't—" he choked on his words.

_Ta—Tadase-kun… _Amu thought. _You care __**this **__much about me, even though we just met? _

"I-iie, I can't…no, I _won't _let you die!" Tadase exclaimed.

Suddenly, liquid dripped onto Amu's face and she automatically knew Tadase had started to cry. This caused Amu to try opening her eyes one final time.

_Onegai, Kami*…_ She prayed.

Then, as if she was in one of those animes or dramas where someone dies, but gets revived by the single tear of someone important or caring, Amu's eyes finally opened, revealing a white room.

"Doko*…?" she wondered out loud. She looked around.

Tadase was standing beside her, with his eyes closed, but as soon as he heard Amu's voice, his eyes snapped open.

"Amu-chan!" he exclaimed in what seemed to be a mixture relief, happiness and anger. "D-don't just faint like that so suddenly! I almost thought you were dead! If I didn't hear you breathing, I would've believed you were dead too!"

Stunned the smart, funny, and cute boy she (barely) knew was yelling at her, Amu stammered, "G-gomenasai Tadase-kun…"

Tadase grabbed Amu's arms tightly and shook her harshly, making her head loll back and forth. "Don't _gomenasai _me! Did you know you've been out for almost 2 freaking hours, Amu-chan?! You made me so damned worried!"

Amu winced as Tadase's grip tightened. What Tadase hadn't noticed was he was gripping one of the spots a cut was.

"Ah!" she yelped. "Ta—Tadase-kun…yamete*! Itai*, Tadase-kun..! Y-yamete kudasai*! It really hurts…" her eyes filled with tears of pain. "Tadase-kun…my cut…let go, please!"

Tadase seemed to realize what he was doing and where his hand was because he quickly released Amu's arms.

"Oh, my God, Amu-chan!" he exclaimed then pulled Amu into an awkward hug. "I'm _so _sorry! I…I didn't mean to hurt or yell at you! I-I guess I just let my anger of losing you so soon get to my head. Please, forgive me!" he pulled back to wipe Amu's tears of pain gently. "Forgive me, onegai…" he sighed and put his head down. "I was just so…worried I'd lose you when I just got you…as a friend I mean."

Amu sat up on both of her knees. "Tadase-kun…"

Tadase looked up at Amu and she quickly planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I forgive you, Tadase-kun." She tried to hide the blush on her face with a yawn.

On the other hand, Tadase was flushed beet red with embarrassment, and nervousness.

_Oh—my—God! _He thought _Amu-chan…she—she kissed me on the cheek! _

Amu looked down at her watched. "O-oh, I should probably get going….M-Mama is probably already worried sick by now."

Just as Tadase's blush started to disappear, it came back again. "Right…a-about that…" he began, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I, er, I kinda called your okaasan* saying you were going to stay over for a sl-sleepover…" he laughed nervously.

"W-wait…wha…what…?" Amu asked, shocked. "Wh…why would you do that…?"

"…Gomenasai, Amu-chan!" Tadase exclaimed, bowing apologetically. "I…I didn't know what else to do because when I decided to call your mother it was almost 6PM…"

Amu shook her head. "It's…it's alright. But what about my pajamas, uniform and stuff..?"

"They're here," Tadase replied and reached down to grab something from underneath the bed Amu was on then held it up for Amu to see.

"B-but how..?"

"Your okaasan dropped it off."

"But this is the—"

"Schools nurses office." Tadase finished for Amu. "Yeah, I told her my otousan*—the principle—needed my help with something while I was at home and we met each other on the way."

"You did that to…keep me safe and make sure no one worried about me…?" Amu asked, blushing again slightly.

"Er, hai…sorry, I was being thoughtless, wasn't I, Amu-chan?" Tadase held his head down in shame.

_Oh, God, _Amu thought, _that…no, he, is so damn cute! _

She touched Tadase's arm gently. "It's fine, I don't mind staying at your place for a while." She smiled.

Tadase looked up hopefully. "R-really?"

"Yep!" Amu beamed. "I've always wanted to have a sleep over with a guy-friend!"

_Oh, God. _Tadase thought, trying not to blush again. _Why is she so cute?!_

* * *

_**A/N: So, how did you like it? There was a little bit more Japanese in the original, but I edited it so that I didn't have to make too many translations.**_

_**Onegai: Is please, but I don't know if it's formal or not because there's also another version of please used in this chapter.**_

_**Kame: Is God. I'm probably wrong though...**_

_**Doko: Is where. I originally had Doko wa koko, which is 'where am I' or 'where is here.', but I didn't like it. xD**_

_**Yamete: Is stop.**_

_**Itai: Is it hurts.**_

_**Kudasai: Is another form of please I think.**_

_**Okaasan: Is mother.**_

_**Otousan: Is father.**_

_**Well, that was quite a bit. And it's all probably wrong. Because my Japanese book isn't trustworthy anymore. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, despite all of the Japanese.**_

_**Until next chapter,**_

_**~Niki-chan. **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: And now-the long awaited 12th chapter! Sorry it's a little late. It's REALLY long, I've been lazy, and well, there's school. I hope you guys didn't get too impatient. Also, if you see a song being mentioned, I suggest you look it up on YouTube or whatever to know what the song is. I've added stars in some places you might not understand since it's not Japanese words. I'll explain it in the ending A/N. Now for some review replies!**_

_**tadamu4eva: Lol. Here, take another update!**_

_**Guest person: Yup, I was surprised myself-and I wrote it! I hope you read this chapter too. :33**_

_**Aori-chan: Again, thanks for the tips. c: So, I was right before...Still, that makes no sense. Oh, Japan. How I love your language. Lol, there's not much Japanese in this, and I'm pretty sure I got the few Japanese phrases/words in this chapter correct, but if I'm wrong, tell me if I am.**_

_**pokemonconest1998: Thanks. ^^ I'm glad you like reading this.**_

_**Kitty-chan ((if I may call you that.)): Thanks. And don't worry, you spelled tadamu right. It's in my pen name, so it's not that hard to forget how to spell. I'm glad you like the Japanese in this. At the end of this chapter I'll write something about it.**_

_**Rebecca: Since now, I guess. xD Thanks for reading.**_

_**Ivy-chan: Meh, my sister is obsessed with this Asian and it's SO annoying. Don't worry, I think that's the Canadian way of spelling it too anyways. Wow, where do you live? Singapore? Thailand? I dunno. That pretty much sounds like the way a normal Asian would speak if they had a major accent. Singlish kinda confuses me, but if you like you can PM me or something and we can talk about Asian countries and stuff. I know quite a bit about Korea and Japan, so I could talk about that, and you can talk about Singapore. My favorite flower? Oh, man...Daisy, lily, rose, tulip, umm... Chrysanthemum too I guess, and that's all I can think of. **_

_**Amulet Misty: 1. Sorry. ^^; I usually don't put A/N's in my fics, but for some reason, I did for that chapter...I have no clue why.**_

_**2. Ack, sorry. My logic makes no sense, I'm just like that. ((If I wasn't so nice, and didn't want to get you angry, I'd probably say a quote from my favorite YT let's play person; DON'T QUESTION MY LOGIC!)) Let's just say Amu's mom didn't tell her father. She just said she was sleeping over at a girl friends house. But this is a fan fiction. A lot of illogical stuff happen in them. Especially in my fics. I guess I'm just cray cray or something (-cough- Get your cray on, cray on! -cough- sorry. Song.)**_

_**3. So many sorry's. I'm sorry again. I just think it makes it seem like their actually SPEAKING Japanese. And I'm just so used to it because I find it fun learning Japanese words by figuring out what sentence is what in Japanese. But that's why I have the words at the bottom. They don't have to scroll down to the bottom every time they see a Japanese word/phrase. They could read the whole chapter and be like "Oh, so that's what he/she was saying!". I dunno. I think it's a better system then before where I'd add Japanese and people would be like 'WTF does this mean?'.**_

_**But either way, thanks for the **_**_criticism. I'll take them into consideration. I'm glad you like this story though. ^^ I noticed you've been a re-occurring reader on my fics. Thanks for that. ^^ Hope you enjoy this OOC fulled chapter with illogical stuff._**

**_xxoikilluoxx: Thanks. ^^ Here's an update. :3_**

**_Well, that was long. But not as long as this chapter. It's 2,537 words w/o this A/N. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't find it too boring/OOC/illogical. _**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own SC! or it's characters. Just the major OOC-ness and stuff. I also don't own the music mentioned either. But I would like it if you brought up said song on YT to know what the song is._**

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 12: Sleepover

After a while of chatting and asking Amu if she was okay, Tadase and Amu left for Tadase's house.

"Welcome home, Tadase." Tadase's father said when Tadase and Amu arrive at Tadase's house. He looked over at Amu and added, "And you must be the famous Amu-chan. Tadase talks about you frequently. I'm glad I finally get to meet you."

Tadase flushed and whispered, "O-Otou-san! Don't say that in front of her!"

Tadase's father just chuckled. "Sorry, Tadase,"

"Anyways, can Amu-chan sleep over for a while?" Tadase asked, regaining his composure.

"Oh, sure! She can stay as long as she wants!" Tadase's father sent a wink in Amu's direction.

He looked around 30 and had pale brown hair that fell in a similar way Tadase's did and purple eyes. He was quite tall, probably around 6 feet, and had a modest style of slacks and white dress shirt with a purple pinstripe pattern.

Suddenly, Amu started to stumble and sway. She touched her head slightly and gave a quiet groan. Tadase quickly jumped into action and grabbed Amu's shoulders gently.

"Amu-chan!" he said, his voice rimmed with concern. "Are you alright."

Amu regained her composure and nodded. "Un, I'm fine, Tadase-kun. I guess I'm still a little tired." Her stomach growled. "And…maybe a little hungry too."

Tadase smiled. "So you want something to eat? Would you like me to make you something?"

Amu looked down, hiding the blush creeping on her face. "S-sure…"

_Wow. _Amu thought. _The only friend I've had that's ever made me something to eat was Nade…A boy has never made me anything. Other than my father, but he barely cooks anyways._

"Alright. I'll show you to the dining room and you can wait there until I get back." Tadase said.

He lead Amu into a room that was pretty much right in front of them.

"Arigatou, Tadase-kun…" Amu said as she sat down.

Around 15 minutes later, Tadase came back carrying a tray of colorful bocchan dangos* and fluffy nikuman*.

"Oh, my favorites!" Amu exclaimed as Tadase placed the tray in front of her.

"Well go on. Try some." Tadase said, smiling.

Amu nodded and picked up a set of chopsticks from the table. She carefully picked up a dango and popped it in her mouth. As soon as her taste buds kicked in, Amu's eyes lit up.

"Oishi*!" she exclaimed happily. She then tried the nikuman and had the same reaction.

"I'm glad you like them, Amu-chan." Tadase smiled.

Amu blushed slightly and nodded.

Once she finished the dangos and nikuman, Tadase offered her a cup of tea.

"Thanks, Tadase-kun…" Amu said.

"No problem, Amu-chan." Tadase replied. "I made is especially for you. It's Jasmine."

Amu blushed again, but mentally hit herself.

_Enough already! Stop blushing, Amu! _She thought. _Act cool! Make it seem like you don't want it!_

"Oh…I don't usually like to drink tea." She lied, using her cool voice.

Tadase sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. You don't have to drink it if you don't want to…"

_Gah, I can't deny tea from him! He's too adorable. _Amu thought.

Her expression softened, but she still spoke in her cool voice when she said, "I guess if you _really _want me to try some, I'll drink it."

"Really?!" Tadase beamed. "Thanks for at least wanting to try some."

"Oh…" Amu mumbled. She was trying her hardest not to blush at Tadase's cute-ness. "Un…"

When Amu finished the tea, which actually tasted quite good, Tadase led her to his bedroom.

"Wow! It's so traditional!" Amu exclaimed, looking around.

"Yeah, my okaa-san had is decorated like this when I moved into here." Tadase replied then walked up to his closet. He opened it and added, "Oh, and I think I have a sleeping bag or something for you to sleep on. Just wait a minute."

Digging around in the closet, reaching up slightly to look at the higher shelves, Tadase muttered quietly to himself, he looked around for something to sleep on.

"H-hey, Tadase-kun…" Amu stuttered, looking down at her feet.

"Hmm?" Tadase stopped looking through the closet and turned his head to look at Amu. "What is it, Amu-chan?"

"I-if you can't find anything for me to sleep on…I—I'll just sleep on your bed?" she continued nervously, now fiddling with her fingers.

"Eh? You mean…with me?"

"Huh? Oh, er, never mind…stupid question."

Tadase nodded slightly, a little confused and focused on the closets contents again. Finally, he found what he needed.

"Oh, here we go!"

He pulled out a small sky blue duffle bag with a golden crown in the center of it and tossed it at Amu, who flinched; afraid it would hit her in the face, but somehow managed to catch it.

She pulled the top of the duffle bag open and turned it upside-down, allowing all of its contents to fall on the floor. Tadase walked over to Amu and helped her unroll the sleeping bag, which was the same as the design on the bag it came in.

"Sorry…" Tadase said. "It's a little boy-ish…"

Amu shook her head. "Iie, I don't mind." Fiddling with her skirt, she added, "Also, thanks for letting me stay at your place…"

"Oh, it's no problem, Amu-chan!" Tadase replied with a smile.

Amu smiled back picked up the bag that contained her pajamas, uniform, and whatever else her mother packed in the bag.

"You don't mind if I change into my pajamas, do you?" she asked.

"No, not at all. Go ahead, the bathroom is just down the hall, then you take a left." Tadase replied.

"Thanks, Tadase-kun." Amu said then left the room to find the bathroom.

"Well," Tadase said after Amu left. "This is an interesting turn of events. It's my second day knowing her and I _already _have her over for a sleep over….That's not too weird, right..?"

He just shook his head and walked over to his drawers to find a pair of pajamas for himself.

A couple minutes later, Amu came back in the room wearing a pair of orange striped pajamas with little cross buttons. She'd taken out her half pony and her hair now fell just a little past her shoulders.

Tadase, who had finished changing a little while before Amu walked in, was wearing a pair of blue pajamas with gold crown designs and white crowns for buttons.

Amu walked over to the sleeping bag and sat on her knees. "So, what should we do now?"

Tadase shrugged. "You're the guest, so why don't you choose?"

"Alright…" Amu thought for a moment. "How about movies with nachos and a prank call later too?"

"Sure, that sounds like fun!" Tadase said. "Why don't you go pick out a movie while I ask Otou-san to make us nachos quickly." Then he quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll show you were the movies are first."

* * *

Amu's pointer finger moved across the spines of the movies Tadase and his father had, hoping to find something she knew or looked good. Her finger stopped at a movie called '_Postman to heaven_'*. She took it off the movie rack and looked at it.

Tadase walked in after asking his father to make them nachos and drinks. He wandered over to where Amu was kneeling and peaked over her shoulder.

"You know, I don't really know why we have that movie." He said, making Amu jump a little.

She turned around. "Oh! Tadase-kun! …I've watched this movie once before. I liked it a lot, but it made me cry a little*."

Tadase laughed at Amu's surprise. "Yeah, I've watched it too, actually. Do you want to watch it?"

"U-um..." Amu stammered. "Sure…I guess. But don't freak out if you see me crying."

Tadase smiled and offered his hand down and helped Amu up. "Don't worry. But…if you see me crying…pretend you never saw it."

Amu laughed. "Alright, then. Let's watch it!"

Tadase nodded and took the movie from Amu and put it in the CD player and went to go sit on the couch. Amu sat down next to Tadase near one of the couches arms.

A couple seconds later, as Tadase was about to press play on the remote, Tadase's father came in with the food and drinks.

"Oh? _Postman to Heaven_?" He said placing the tray on the coffee table in front of them. "Your mom used to love this movie, Tadase."

Amu turned slightly to face Tadase's father. "Really? This movie makes me cry."

"So did Tadase's mother." Tadase's dad replied. "Well, I'm going up to my workroom to do some paperwork. If you guys need something, call me."

With that, Tadase's father walked down a hall, which left Amu and Tadase to watch the movie alone.

Near the middle of the movie, Amu's eyes started to get misty. She grabbed the pillow next to her and hugged it tightly. Tadase looked over at Amu and cracked a small smile.

"Crying already?" Tadase asked. "We're only at the part where the old man takes pictures of the clouds because his dead son did the same."

"I—I am _not _crying!" Amu said, trying to bring up her cool act. It didn't help much though, because she stuttered slightly.

Tadase continued to smile and gently put his arm around Amu. "It's fine. I know, you know what happens in the end. Cry all you want."

Amu nodded and blushed, but hid it by wiping a tear that was about to fall. As the part where the 'post man to heaven', Shin Jae Joon/Yuu, played by actor/singer Kim Jaejoong, began to disappear to the girl, Jo Hana/Saki, played by actress Han Hyo Joo, Amu's tears started to slowly fall.

Tadase sat, absentmindedly smoothing Amu's hair while trying not to worry that she was crying because he knew she was crying for a reason. He was also trying not to cry himself.

Finally, the movie ended and Amu sat quietly, wondering what it would be like falling in love with a person who didn't physically exist, and watching them disappear in front of her eyes, thinking you'd never see them again.

She hadn't even realized she was still crying until Tadase wiped her tears.

"You can stop crying now." He said, trying to sound humorous. "I know someone like you would cry if that happened to you."

_Why is he so nice to me..? _Amu wondered to herself.

"Well," Tadase said, making Amu snap out of her thoughts. "Didn't you say you wanted to prank call someone after the movie?"

"Oh, right!" Amu replied, an evil grin forming on her face. "I wanna prank call Saaya!"

Tadase smiled. "Alrighty then. Let's go back into my room."

He stood up and held a hand down to Amu and helped her up.

* * *

The prank they pulled on Saaya was really hilarious to both of them. They called her and asked her in fake voices asking her why she ordered 100 Happy Meals. Saaya got really confused then.

"Huh? You guys are stupid! I didn't order _any _Happy Meals! I don't even EAT McDonalds!" she said angrily.

"Well, we have the receipt right in front of us. It says 'Pick-up for Yamabuki Saaya. 100 Chicken McNugget Happy Meals.'."

Saaya freaked out and hung up, leaving Amu and Tadase to laugh their heads off.

When Amu finally hung up the phone, Tadase sat on his bed, still laughing.

"Well, that was fun." He said between laughs. "What's next?"

Amu thought for a second. "Hmm…How about…Karaoke?"

"You like Karaoke?"

"When you live with someone who sings all the time, you learn to like Karaoke really quickly."

Tadase smiled. "Alright, let's do it then."

Amu smiled back and Tadase went to go find a Karaoke machine. He found one and plugged it into his computer.

Amu sang first, singing '_Replay_' by the Visual Kei band Plastic Tree. She soon found out that Tadase liked that band too. Tadase sang next, singing the song '_Fukurou_', which was also by Plastic Tree.

After that the two sang in turn. Amu sung another Plastic Tree song, '_Melancholic_', and then '_Still Doll_' by Kanon Wakeshime. Tadase sung '_Day By Day_' by the band D-Date, and '_Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi_' by ON/OFF. They also sang another Plastic Tree song, '_Spica_', together.

"Wow, Amu-chan." Tadase said after they finished '_Spica_'. "You've got such a pretty voice."

"Un…arigatou, Tadase-kun." Amu replied, a soft pink appearing on her cheeks. "You've also got a good voice."

"Wanna do one more song?" Tadase asked.

Amu nodded. "Sure!"

Tadase smiled and chose an English song; '_My Immortal_' by Evanescence. Amu took a breath and began to sing in accented English.

(_In my notebook, I have the lyrics, but due to the rules, I can't post them.)_

Tadase couldn't help but smile as Amu began to sing the chorus. Then finally, the song ended and Tadase gave Amu a round of applause.

"Wonderful, Amu-chan!" he said. "Even in English, your voice is beautiful!"

Amu blushed slightly and looked at the clock. "It's getting late…maybe we should—"

Amu got cut off when she felt something soft hit her. She turned to see Tadase holding a pillow while smirking.

"Oops…my hand slipped." He said, winking.

"Oi*! Tadase-kun, you are _so _going to pay for that!" Amu picked up a pillow from Tadase's bed.

Tadase backed up slightly, so Amu just threw the pillow at him. He quickly ducked and it flew over his head and hit his closet door instead.

The pillow fight went on for a little while longer, but the throwing of the pillows stopped after Amu threw the pillow at Tadase. Finally, Amu collapsed in exhaustion on Tadase's bed, laughing a little.

She stayed like that for a minute or so before standing back up and wandering towards the sleeping bag.

"Okay, _now _I think we should go to sleep." She said with a small yawn. She glanced at the clock. "It's almost 11 anyways."

Tadase looked at the clock as well. Amu was right. It was 10:50 o'clock, and there was school the next day because it was a Thursday.

"Well," Tadase said with a small smile. "I guess time _does _fly when you're having fun!"

Amu nodded. "Un, I haven't had this much fun since my last sleep over." She yawned again.

"But it's late now, and you seem really tired." Tadase said. "So it's a good idea to go to bed now or we'll never stay away in school."

Amu nodded again so Tadase said, "Alright, then let's go to bed."

He walked over to the light switch and turned it off. After the light was off, Tadase heard Amu yawn one last time and then there was nothing but shallow breathing—Amu had fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Tadase smiled and walked up to the sleeping bag. _Wow, she must've been really tired. _He thought as he bent down and bravely brushed his lips across Amu's forehead.

"Oyasumi*, Amu-chan." He whispered then walked over to his bed and pulled the covers over his body to stay warm.

He fell asleep not soon after he got settled with Amu on his mind.

* * *

_**A/N: Ta-Da! That was the chapter for ya! Hope it wasn't too drawn out. I had it in chapters, but I didn't want there to be TOO many chapters, so I fixed it and made the Sleep over, and a few other chapters into longer ones. About the stars...**_

_**Bocchan dangos: They're round dumplings that come in 3 colors/flavors; a red/pink one colored by red bean paste, a creamy colored one colored by eggs and a green one colored by green tea.**_

_**Nikuman: Meat buns.**_

_**Oishi: Delicious.  
**_

_**Postman to Heaven: Is a movie-drama in both Korean and Japanese. It's about this young man, who is either a ghost or an angel (unsure about that yet, he's probably an angel though) who goes to a mail box out in the middle of no where and delivers the letters inside of it (which are for loved ones that have passed) to heaven. One day, a girl goes to the mailbox and puts a letter in the box. The young man/angel appears in front of her and eventually proposes she help him deliver the letters (or something like that). The girl is one of the only people who can see the angel man, but soon she starts to notice she has difficulties seeing him. She also ends up falling in love with him. In the end, he disappears completely and the girl gets emotional. ((Don't want to explain the ending. I'll let you watch it and find out. PS: sorry I'm terrible at explaining))  
**_

**_There's a star beside 'it made me cry' because it made ME cry. But I'm emotional anyways. I don't guarantee you'll cry though._**

**_For all the songs in the karaoke, as I mentioned 3 times before, I suggest you look them up. 1: because they're amazing songs and 2: sometimes I see an author mentioning a song and I never know what the song is. _**

**_Oi: Not sure if already translated. Another, more 'harsher' way of saying hey. Like if you're calling someone over, or if someone does something annoying._**

**_Oyasumi: Good night._**

**_Anyways, hope you enjoyed! c: I love you all for reading this fic. (ianhw of course. If you don't know what ianhw means, it's 'In a non-homo way')_**


	13. Chapter 13

**_A/N: Wow, I managed to finish this within the day! Sorry this is mostly italicized/in dream mode. In my notebook, there was more, but I have written down in the side that I'd add it to the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! Review answering time? _  
**

**_tadamu4eva: Ha, I think she just wanted to get pay back. Was this update fast enough for you? I read your story. I hope you got my review and weren't too...what's the word? Mad I guess. I hope my critiques didn't get you too mad._**

**_AquaBluey: I'm glad you like this so far. ^^ I hope you like this one too. :3_**

**_Ivy-chan: Ah, I figured it was something like Singapore. I love Korean bands. But I don't OVER obsess over them (though I am really excited for someone's comeback). I'm TERRIBLE at remembering names at first. But it's easy if the person in the band has an easy name to remember, or is my bias. Like this one band (BEAST) I only know one person because he's so adorable (if you know the band BEAST, you should be able to guess who I'm talking about). I kinda have people I'd like to be friends with but 'hate' me. I used to be friends with this girl that came to my school last year. I was pretty much her 2nd friend and she even invited me over for a sleep over (none of my friends do that much). Then I made her mark go down on a project, she got mad at me, then forgave me a few weeks later...then nothing. She said nothing nice to me anymore. She didn't say ANYTHING to me. Not even anything like 'Eff you.' I like her and all, but it gets me mad that she suddenly hates me. And then there's my 'crush' who my friend says I'd make a good couple with. I hate him SO much for not talking to me anymore. But still...I wanna be his friend. I'm usually quiet in class too, but if I'm with a friend that likes the same things I like, I tend to chatter a lot. So yeah._**

**_Aori-chan: Un, I've heard of World is Mine. More into K-Pop and Visual Kei than I am in Vocaloids and stuff still, but I'll listen to it occasionally. Updated soon enough? c;_**

**_Kitty-chan: I'm glad you like this story for...no apparent reason. xD_**

**_Dina-chan: ((Can I call you that?)) You're welcome. ^^ Oh, and I forgot one of your critiques had to do with something I was going to ask in the previous chapter for this. Illogical Tadamu ftw? _**

**_With that being said, would you guys prefer more or less Japanese in my stories? Reply in your reviews._**

**_Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't own SC! it belongs to Peach Pit. I own the major OOC-ness and the random mysterious samurai in Amu's nightmare. And this fic. That's it._**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 13: Nightmares and dream confessions!

_Amu ran as fast as she could, occasionally looking behind her, checking if the person chasing her was gaining on her. She looked back once more. The only thing she could see of the mysterious person was a silhouette. She could tell he/she was wearing baggy, ninja/samurai like clothing with long hair up in a samurai like hair style. She also noticed the person was wielding a shiny katana* sword._

_ The person was only 10 feet from Amu now and she was suddenly unable to move her feet anymore. The person, though, was still moving and they were picking up their speed. _

"_No!" Amu exclaimed as she suddenly fell to her knees. She raised her arms above her head as if she could use them as a shield. "S-stay away from me!"_

_ Suddenly the person was standing right in front of Amu, holding the tip of the cold and sharp katana blade against her throat. _

"_Iie!" Amu screamed. "Stop! Please!"_

_ The blade was pushed further against Amu's throat and Amu could almost feel some of her blood trickling down her neck._

"_Please, stop!" she screamed one final time._

_The samurai person lifted the blade from Amu's neck and she almost sighed in relief. That is until she saw the person raising it up above their head. Amu's eyes widened as she realized what was going to happen._

"_Someone please help!" she exclaimed in despair as the sword moved closer to her head, almost about to cut her in half. Everything went in slow motion. Then…nothing._

* * *

Then Amu could hear someone calling her name and shaking her gently. The person calling her name was Tadase, and she realized it was just a dream.

"Amu-chan!" Tadase called. "Amu-chan, wake up, you're having a nightmare!"

Amu's eyes opened. "So…it was only a dream…" she muttered.

"Amu-chan, what did you dream about?" Tadase asked. "I woke up because I heard you shouting stuff in your sleep."

"I-It's hard to explain…" she stammered. She touched the spot on her neck where the samurai in her dream had the katana blade.

Then she realized Tadase was holding her. She blushed but had to admit, she did feel safe in his arms.

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Tadase said softly.

"Tomorrow, alright?" Amu replied.

Tadase nodded. "Alright." He stood, dragging Amu up with him. "Hey, do you think you'd be more…comfortable in my bed?"

"Eh? What about—"she realized what Tadase meant and looked down. "O-oh…you mean with…you..."

Tadase nodded, blushing slightly. "Y-yeah…or would you rather me sleep in the sleeping bag instead?"

"No…I don't mind…" Amu said. "Just—don't pull anything stupid on me."

Tadase chuckled at how conscious Amu was about sleeping in the same bed as a guy. "Don't worry. I won't do anything inappropriate. I promise."

Amu nodded quietly and Tadase let her go. She made her way to the other side of Tadase's bed and got settled.

"Oh, yeah…" She mumbled staring at the ceiling. "Sorry for waking you up."

"No, it's fine." Tadase replied. Amu looked over at him. "I was about to get up anyways."

"To go to the bathroom?" Amu giggled.

Tadase blushed slightly. "Yeah…Anyways, we'd better get back to bed—and don't worry, I'll be here."

Amu nodded. "Okay. Oyasumi, Tadase-kun."

"Oyasumi, Amu-chan." Tadase got settled too and let Amu use his arm like a teddy bear.

As Amu closed her eyes, he looked at her for a while (definitely not in a creepy way), then kissed her forehead again and closed his own eyes.

This time it was Tadase who had the bad/strange dream.

* * *

_ Tadase and Amu were sitting on a bench in the park eating ice cream. Tadase scooted closer to Amu slightly and put his free hand on top of Amu's. His action received a funny look from Amu._

"_Uh, Tadase …?" Amu asked seriously. "What are you doing…?"_

"_You…you see, the reason I asked you to join me today was so you could…hear me out." Tadase replied shyly. "So…could you please listen for a while?"_

"_Ookayy….Shoot."_

_Tadase took a breath. "Here's the thing…ever since I met you, I've always thought you were pretty. I decided to be your friend, get to know you more, etc. As I got to know you more…my feelings for you increased. I enjoyed talking to you and making you smile…"_

_Amu nodded, processing everything Tadase was saying. "Alright, continue…"_

"_But now…now, though I don't know if you'll accept me feelings…"_

"_What are you saying?" Amu asked, suddenly confused._

"_Don't you get it? I'm telling you I like you." Tadase replied bravely._

_Amu stared at Tadase curiously for a while, probably trying to figure out if he was being serious. Then she abruptly started laughing._

"_Oh, God Tadase! You…you sure know me well!" Amu said in between laughs. "How…how did you know I had a crush on you?"_

_Tadase blinked a few times, slightly confused and shocked at Amu's reply. "I di—"_

"_Seriously though. A popular, smart, cool, good looking boy like you would NEVER like an un-popular, not cool, ugly girl like me!" Amu said, cutting Tadase off._

"_B-but…I'm being serious." Tadase looked down. "And, you're not…ugly"_

_Amu flicked tears of laughter out of her eyes. "Oh, man, Tadase! You sure can act! So, who put you up to this? Was it Rima? No! It was Ran and Suu wasn't it?!"_

"_N-no…it wasn't Rima-chan. Or Ran-chan and Suu-chan." Tadase said. "Nobody put me up to this. I swear, I'm not lying or acting!"_

"_Tadase, you're so funny!" Amu looked at her watch, frowned then looked back up at Tadase. "Damn, it looks like I have to go. It's getting a little late and my mom wanted me to do something for her. Call me later and tell me what you ACTUALLY wanted to tell me."_

_ She quickly finished her ice cream cone and stood up. She began to sprint away but stopped for a second and turned back towards Tadase._

"_Ja-ne, Tadase!" she called waving._

"_B-bye, Amu…" Tadase replied and waved back._

_ After Tadase waved back, Amu turned back around and continued sprinting until she disappeared in the blooming sakura* trees._

* * *

_**A/N: Ta-da! Bet you didn't expect this! (Because I certainly didn't. xD)**  
_

_**Not much Japanese in this either.**_

_**katana: it's a Japanese sword, used mostly by Samurai's. Think the thing Kairi has when he transforms.**_

_**sakura: it's another name/Japanese name for cherry blossom.**_

_**Lot's of room in here. I'll just remind you to post in your reviews whether you think I should have more or less Japanese in these.**_

_**Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, despite the lack of NORMAL stuff. (As apposed to the dream stuff)**__  
_

_**Until next time, my friends. I gotta go to bed or my mom will yell at me. Byee!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hiya minna*! New chapter for you all. c: Hope you like this one and give me as much feedback as you did in the last chapter! 3 Let's go straight to the replies of the reviews then. **

**Chapter 12 reviews:**

**Trust Breaker Curtain Faker: Yes, that's exactly where I got it. c;**

**Rebecca: Yep, no threatening Saaya. YAAY AMU CAN LIVEE -party poppers explode everywhere-**

**Chapter 13 reviews:**

**AquaBluey: How did you know she was gonna have nightmare?! ARE YOU A PSYCHIC?! :o**

**321BlueBlossoM123: Aw, I'm sorry. D: -hands tissue and hugs- Hope this chapter doesn't make you cry. (Psh, it won't. The next one might though)**

**Aori-chan: Woohoo, I got something right for once! What? Was Tadase's dream too depressing? Sorry. ;o; Hope you like this one though!**

**Ivy-chan: Meh, my 'crush' confuses me sometimes. Before his ex-girlfriend (yes, EX. He's got a new gf though) came to my old school, we would hang out all the time in school. He acted like...a normal friend. Kinda like how Tadase acts towards Amu. But he acted like that towards everyone though...well every girl he hung out with. Now he won't say anything. He acts like I don't exist. It's like...idk annoying. Nah, my friends are awesome. Well, most of them. There's this one who I like to fangirl with about these different books and stuff. She understands me completely. c: Currently we're fangirling about this book in a series called Heroes of Olympus. I'm usually a loner in class if none of my friends are in them. But thankfully, I have some kind of friend in my classes...well kinda. There's this guy in my Art that likes to bug and talk to me about K-Pop, but I don't know if he's my 'friend' exactly. I don't sit near him though. But he'll come and talk to his friend, who sits behind me sometimes, and he'll bug or compliment me on my stuff. ANYWHO. What am I known as? Like...my ranking in school? I dunno...I have friends, but not many, and most of them don't talk to me much. I'm not exactly smart, but I still manage to get A's and B's in school. I'm never that mean, but there is this one person I tend to hit a lot. But that's 'cause she hits me and annoys me. If I don't hit her when she says a certain thing, she thinks something's wrong. So yeah, I don't even have a clue.**

**tadamu4eva: Alright, good. ^^ Glad you liked the chapter though. Lol, yup. But their not SLEEPING together. If you know what I mean. -cough- I'm not a pervert -cough- -wink wink-**

**Dina-chan: Okay, good, good. ^^ I'll try not to overload anything. This doesn't have much Japanese in it as far as I remember. xD Probably because I couldn't think of good places to put them. And yes, strange dreams ARE strange (-cough- mostlyminethough -cough).**

**GraySparkles: Alright. I'll try and add some Japanese in the next chapter. ^^ Sadly, Saaya isn't PHYSICALLY in this chapter. She is briefly in the next one though. I liked the prank call too. c: Glad you like this fic. ^^**

**Phew, lots of writing. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I do not own Shugo Chara. You may now read on~**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 14: The first strike

When Tadase woke up again, it was morning already. He tried to sit up so he could look at his clock but he was blocked by an arm on his chest.

He looked down and chuckled at Amu's sleeping form. She was half under the blanket with her arms sprawled across the bed.

_What a reckless sleeper. _Tadase thought, smirking slightly.

He gently moved Amu's arm so he sit get up and look at his clock.

_Hmm…_ He thought. _I'm not sure what time Amu-chan gets up, but it's 6:30 and that's around the time I get up so I might as well wake her up now… _

Instead, he decided to let Amu sleep a little bit longer. He stood from his bed and put on his uniform. A few minutes later, clad in his dark blue uniform, he walked back over to his bed and gently shook Amu's shoulder in attempt to wake her.

She rolled over and groaned. "Just 5 more minutes, Mama!"

Tadase chuckled quietly and said, "You can sleep as long as you want, Amu-chan; it's only 6:35. I woke up a few minutes ago and got changed."

At the sound of Tadase's voice, Amu's eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, blushing in embarrassment.

"W-what I just said…It was part of a dream I was having! Really!" she stammered.

Tadase smiled. "Sureee, Amu-chan. I believe you." He said sarcastically.

Too tired to think of a clever comeback, Amu just swung her legs over the bed, stood up, and tiredly roamed around the room, looking for her uniform.

"You still remember where the bathroom is, right?" Tadase asked, handing Amu a neatly folded pile of clothing.

Amu nodded and took the baby blue and black clothing from Tadase. "Un…thanks."

Amu walked out of Tadase's bedroom and walked down the hall to the bathroom and quickly put on her uniform. When she noticed there was nothing else with the pile Tadase had given her, she realized her mother forgot to pack her accessories. She sighed, folded her pajamas and debated what she should do with her hair.

_Meh, since I don't have my accessories, I don't have my clips. _She finally decided. _I guess I'll just put my hair up without the clips… _

So she pulled all of her pink hair into a side pony and brushed her hair down so it fell over her right shoulder. She put any hair that fell out of the ponytail into a bobby pin she found and walked out of the bathroom.

When Tadase saw Amu without her accessories, he gasped slightly.

_Whoa… _he thought. _Amu-chan looks even cuter without her accessories. I bet she's going to get lots of compliments now!_

"Um, Tadase-kun?" Amu waved her hand in front of Tadase's face, breaking his train of thoughts. "What are you looking at?"

Tadase shook his head. "It's nothing."

Amu shrugged. "Alright, whatever. Come on, I'm getting hungry. I'm in the mood for some tamagoyaki*."

Tadase smiled and nodded. "Alright, I'll go make some for us then."

Amu reflected Tadase smile. "Okay."

She followed Tadase down the hall, suddenly realizing she hadn't blushed when Tadase smiled at her. Not that a girl always blushes when someone smiles at them. It's just Amu always blushes or looks away when Tadase says anything nice or smiles or whatever at/to her.

_Maybe with this look I'll be less…shy and act like my normal self…_ She thought, walking into the dining room while Tadase went into the kitchen.

Amu sat down and somehow ended up thinking of ways not to get caught by Saaya, since she'd obviously be walking to school with Tadase the whole way.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Tadase began cooking the tamagoyaki Amu wanted to eat for breakfast.

"Amu didn't blush like she usually does when I smiled…" he muttered to himself. "I mean, she looks cute when she's blushing, but this is the first time I've seen her smile happily and not nervously or anything." He beat all of the ingredients and added, "It was…really cute."

He shook his head and continued making the tamagoyaki.

_You're thinking too much, Tadase. _He told himself. _Plus, if you fall even harder in love with her and confess, she might do what she did in your dream. Then, your heart will be completely broken. _

Finally, he finished the tamagoyaki and put each one on a plate. Then he quickly made some tea and poured some in 2 fancy looking cups. He found a nice tray and put Amu's breakfast on it. He wanted Amu to feel special in this house.

He walked into the dining room to see Amu staring into space. _She must be thinking. _He thought quietly putting down her tray in front of her so he wouldn't break Amu's train of thought. Tadase sat on the opposite side of the table and waited for Amu to come back to the real world.

Suddenly, she said, "Oh, I know!"

"What is it, Amu-chan?" Tadase asked, looking over at Amu curiously.

"Oh, Tadase-kun! Perfect. I have a plan on how to not get all 3 strikes Saaya warned me about, but still hang with you at the same time!" she explained happily.

"Really?" Tadase asked. "Do tell."

"I may have to get 1 strike to pull it off though…" Amu said thoughtfully.

"Okay, shoot."

"Alright, alright. First off, you and I will leave at a different time. You'll leave first. I'll leave 5 minutes later. Got it?"

Tadase nodded. "Got it."

"Secondly, we'll bump into each other at the school gates—I'll have no choice but lose my first strike doing this. Anyways, we'll have some argument about…uh…something that happened before Saaya threatened me or whatever. She'll think we're in a fight and won't talk to each other anymore, and if she's not there to see it, someone will probably tell her about it." Amu continued. "Even though Saaya will think we're mad at each other, at lunch we'll meet on the roof. We'll eat up there, staying in a corner that's out of view, just in case."

"What if Saaya comes to me as I'm going to the roof and asks me to eat lunch with her?" Tadase asked.

"Hmm…didn't think about that…" Amu thought for a second. "I guess just tell her you're busy or something."

"Alright. Is that it?"

"Uh, nope. Just one more thing." Amu said. "Whenever we see each other, we pretend to hate each other. Also, in class we'll sit away from each other."

"So that's it?" Tadase asked. When Amu nodded, Tadase said, "Alright, clever thinking Amu-chan." He smiled. "Now, let's eat. I made tamagoyaki, like you wanted."

Amu nodded, picked up a set of chopsticks and carefully picked up the cream colored roll and took a bit of it.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "This is even better then Mama's tamagoyaki!"

Tadase just laughed and they continued eating in silence.

They finished their breakfast and Tadase quickly said good-bye to Amu before he left on his way to school.

"Text me when you're about to leave." He told Amu before shutting the front door.

Five minutes later, Amu quickly texted Tadase saying she was leaving and made sure she had everything she needed for school before. Then Amu quickly texted him one more time.

Tadase's phone vibrated in his pocket. Knowing it was Amu; he took it out and read the text. Before he could quickly reply back, he received another text from her. It read: '_The next step is the argument._'

Tadase nodded and quickly texted back, '_Alright' _and put his phone back in his pocket. He continued walking until he spotted the school gates ahead of him. He slowed down a little, making sure Amu would catch up to him faster then entered the school grounds.

He talked to a few of his fangirls, friends and classmates until Amu bumped into him with her injured shoulder.

She winked quickly before saying, "Ow! Tadase, you know my arm is injured!"

"Well, _sorry_! It's _your _fault for being in the damn way!" Tadase yelled. People started to crowd around and whisper.

"_My _fault? You were the one in the way! What would you do if I fainted and you found out it was because it started bleeding even _more_?" Amu yelled back. She pushed past Tadase and said, "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go to my locker."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Amu stomped away but secretly gestured for Tadase to follow her. Tadase nodded slightly and followed Amu behind 2 bushes where they were hidden from everyone.

"Nice acting." Amu whispered. "I actually believed you were mad at me. I got a little scared."

"Thanks, you too." Tadase whispered back. "But if you're right about someone telling Saaya about this if she wasn't here, you've only got 2 strikes left."

Amu nodded. "Yeah. I thought about that. If this plan works, we may have a chance to tell your father about Saaya."

She peaked through the leaves on the bush. "People are still around. Let's start to argue again."

With that, she stepped out and Tadase followed her.

"Will you stop following me, Tadase?!" Amu exclaimed.

"I will if you will." Tadase retorted.

"I haven't followed you once!"

"You may not have followed me once, but you have followed me twice."

"When?!"

"On my way to school and just now, duh!"

Amu scoffed. "I was just innocently walking to school!"

"Yeah, the same route I take!" Tadase exclaimed.

Amu just huffed and walked into the school. When she got to her locker, she opened it and a piece of paper fell out of it. She picked it up and read it.

'_Well, you have one strike now, Hinamori Amu._

_But with such a large fight, I doubt you'll get another._

_Good job on that. But I'll still be watching._

_~Yamabuki Saaya._'

Amu smirked. _It worked. _

She put the note in her book bag and took out her books. She put those in her book bag too and made her way to first class. When Tadase walked in, she tried her best to pretend to ignore him, even though Saaya wasn't in the same English class as her. Someone might report to Saaya claiming Amu and Tadase were friends again. That would be _really _bad.

She sighed as the final morning class ended and grabbed her lunch from her locker. Slowing, she made her way to the roof of the school and sat in a spot that seemed well hidden. As she waited for Tadase to come, she took out a container with sushi in it and began to nibble it slowly.

* * *

**A/N: See, not much Japanese in this. Only a traditional food Japanese people eat for breakfast...which partly explains what tamagoyaki is.**

**Minna: Everyone.**

**Tamagoyaki: literally translated to fried eggs I think. They're like omelets, but not at the same time..it's hard to explain, sorry. ^^;  
**

**Anyways, hope you like this chapter. ^^ Until next chapter,**

**~Niki**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Heya guys! I'm back with a new chapter of...this story. [No, Ikuto, I didn't forget the name of my OWN story. AND DON'T CALL ME AN IDIOT!]. This chapter is a little...er, depressing I guess. Let's get straight to the replies then!**

**312BlueBlossoM123: Glad you're happy now. Hopefully this chapter won't get you sad again D: And yus, amazing plan Amu. -claps-**

**tadamu4eva: ...You're right, they do..WELL, let's just say Student Council is once a week! Are you sure it wasn't a lot of Yaya's? ;D lol jk, I know what you meant.**

**AquaBluey: Lol, I know. It was just a joke. Glad you like it still. ^^**

**Aori-chan: Lol, really? What a coincidence! I just looked on a site that said all the foods Japanese people usually ate for breakfast. xD I'd love to update Marry you, but that takes a lot of effort because of it's original format. [IKUTO, Stop accusing me of stuff I'm not! ...even though I kinda am.] Ahem, sorry. Ikuto told me he thinks I don't want to update it because I'm too lazy. I'm working on Tadase's P.o.V of Ikuto's Lost Love, but I can't think of a clever title. D: I'll update something soon though...maybe. ^^;**

**Ivy-chan: I'm pretty quiet myself in class, and pretty much everywhere. Unless I'm on a topic I really wanna talk about. Also, in class if I'm listening to music, I'll sing quietly (though I'm not sure if I'm any good. My mom told me I'd never get accepted by Simon Cowel (that's probably spelled wrong. ^^;). Fainted? Why did everyone faint? o_o Was there some kind of incident? Meh, I don't care...but today he was wearing a really cute sweater. It was like those sweaters with the ears on the hood...but obviously a male version. My 'crush' has never been in my class as far as I know. They only time we got to talk was recess, lunch or combined classes (like Art). How many? Um...around 5 or 6 that I actually KNOW in person. But I've got a few online ones. Lol what...all I got out of that was yuri and you and your friend being vocaloids...**

**Dina-chan: Yay! Yup...for a while. xD Thanks. ^^ This one has a few Japanese, but not much. Here's an updatee. c:**

**Rebecca: Most likely. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm getting there.**

**Miku'Kitarou-Chan: Hah, you think? Yeah, I guess it was. If I was Saaya, I'd totally believe the argument. Thanks for your review. ^^**

**The next chapter with have a little Rimhiko. Not like any romanticness, but..I dunno. I hope you like this one though. c: I don't own SC! or Peach Pit BTW.**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 15: Things get real

Tadase raced around another corner. Now that his fangirls figured he needed another female best friend, he was getting chased by them. Honestly, it was kind of torturous. He jumped through a set of doors and quickly slammed them in his fangirls faces.

"Gomenasai…" he muttered as he locked the door so they couldn't break through.

He looked around and gratefully realized he was in the hallway where the door to the roof was. He was about to walk towards the direction of the door was when Saaya suddenly popped up in front of him.

"Hi, Tadase." She said. "It's too bad you and Hinamori-san aren't talking anymore. Now you have no one to eat lunch with, since all of your Student council friends eat without you."

Tadase took a nervous step back. "Saaya…what is it you want?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me."

_If she tries to ask you to eat lunch with her, tell her you're busy. _Amu's voice rang in his ears.

"Ah, I'm sorry Saaya," he said. "I'm busy and I tend to like to work alone where it's quiet."

"Aw." Saaya pouted. "Next time then?"

"M-maybe…if I'm not busy with whatever. But I have a lot of paperwork and homework to do this week, so I doubt we'll be able to eat together." Tadase replied. "Now…if you don't mind, I've got to go to the washroom."

As soon as he finished his sentence, he jogged toward the washroom, which was also around the area of the roof doors. He stopped and glanced behind him to see if Saaya was still standing there. When he didn't see her, he quietly opened the door to the roof and climbed the many stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. Finally, he pushed the roof door open and stepped outside.

He looked around and whispered, "Amu-chan…?"

Looking around the corner after hearing her name, Amu spotted Tadase looking around for her.

"Over here!" she called over to him. "Behind this wall."

She poked her head further around the corner so Tadase could see her. Tadase spotted her and made his way over then sat next to her.

"Why were you all the way over here?" he asked opening his lunch.

"So on one can see us." Amu replied, nibbling on some onigiri*. "Anyways, I have another idea for our plan."

"Honto? What is it?"

"We just bring the letters I have to your father and get Saaya suspended."

"Alright, we'll do that after school."

Amu nodded and picked up another onigiri.

"You did good pretending to be mad at me." She said, popping the onigiri in her mouth.

"Thanks." Tadase smiled. "You did too." He added, swiftly stealing on of Amu's onigiri. "By the way, you look nice without your punk accessories."

Amu almost blushed, but realized what Tadase just did and moved the rest of her onigiri on the other side of her.

"Oi!" She complained. "You've got your own lunch!"

She made a grab at the onigiri Tadase stole but he caught her hand and quickly threw the roll in his mouth.

"You owe me something from your lunch now!" Amu pouted, pulling her hand away from Tadase's grip and playfully punching him in the arm.

She snatched Tadase's lunch away from his lap and looked inside it, moving it when he tried to get it back. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm not giving it back until I find something I want." She said.

She took out a nikuman and grinned. "Yes!"

"Wow, you really like nikuman, don't you?" Tadase asked chuckling.

Amu pouted again and crossed her arms. Still, she ate the nikuman happily. Tadase just chuckled again.

_Amu-chan, you're so adorable. _He thought.

He looked down at Amu's legs, noticing the red tinted gauze peaking from the bottom of her skirt. "How are your cuts coming along?" Tadase was slightly tempted to touch the wounded leg but kept himself from doing so.

"Hmm? Oh, they're doing fine." Amu replied. "My legs and arms still hurt every now and then though."

"That's good." Tadase smiled. "Just don't strain yourself too much."

Amu nodded. "Don't worry, I won't. I'm not in gym for the next couple weeks, so I should be fine."

"Good." Tadase said. He looked at Amu and put his hands on her shoulder. "By the way, I'm concerned for you because I blame myself for getting you hurt."

Amu shook her head. "It's not your fault, Tadase-kun."

"Yes it is." Tadase insisted, his face suddenly dead serious. "If I hadn't have left you, Saaya probably wouldn't have attacked you."

"Don't say that, Tadase-kun!" Amu exclaimed. "It's my fault for not seeing her coming! If I had realized she was behind me, I could've tried to fight her."

Things seemed to be turning into a real fight now. Unfortunately, none of them knew how to stop it; they both thought they were right on whose fault it was.

Tadase abruptly stood up. "If you had done that, you would have gotten hurt even more!"

"Why does it seem like you're trying to protect me from Saaya?" Amu asked her face full of a mixture of curiosity and slight anger.

"Well…that's…" Tadase began, his voice softening for a second. Then it hardened again. "T-that's none of your business!"

He grabbed his lunch and stomped away, completely regretting what had just happened. _Now she probably thinks I'm mad at her…_

* * *

**A/N: Not much to say here. But there's one thing I need to 'translate'.**

**Onigiri: Is...well I don't know how to explain it. It's a thing of rice (onigiri means rice ball) that can be shaped into different shapes. It's usually wrapped in seaweed, but there are other ways of making it.**

**Sorry if that explanation didn't help...if it didn't, look up onigiri on Google or whatever. I'm never good at explaining...**

**Anyways, I hope you liked. Keep up the reviews. ^^**

**~Niki **


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh my gods (Yes, god_s._ I'm completely obsessed with the Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus) guys, I'm _so _sorry for the late update! D: I got lazy...^^'' [Yes, Ikuto. _Now _I admit I'm lazy. Just shut up about it D:]. Well anyways, I _finally _finished it! Here's chapter 16 for you guys. ^^ Hope you like it. c: OMG, you know what I just realized? This fic is 1 review away from 80 reviews! Who will be the 80th review? If you're the 80th review, you'll get a shout out in my next chapter. ^^ But don't worry, you're all awesome reviewers and I love you all (ianhw/in a non-homo way)! Anyways, I'm going to start replying to the reviews before I start babbling too much...xD**

**Dina-chan: Really? I've never tasted it. -not one for seaweed- It's so sad, right? D: I'm sorry for making you guys fight, Amu and Tadase. Dx Don't worry, they'll make up soon. (or make out, lol. Kidding. ^^')**

**AquaBluey: Oh, well then I got you there. xD I'm just going everywhere with this story I guess. I'm trying to get all of/most of the actual SC characters in this in some way, so stay tuned (lol it sounds like you're watching a TV show..xD) for the next chapter for a new character!**

**tadamu4eva: They'll make-up, don't worry. (They could make out too though...later maybe. xDD) Amazing laughter. kekekeke (laughing too. Lol.)**

**Aori-chan: Tadase told me he didn't mean to say that. He just didn't want to say 'I love you' yet. He's still a little shy about it. It's so cute too. [Hey, don'y blush Tadase. I'm just saying! You look cute when you're shy.]**

**Ivy-chan: I did. I re-read that review twice. I guess I'm just slow. . But wow. No lunch? That sucks. All because of something some people did? Jeez, harsh school. Oh, I get it. And I already know what Yuri is...it's weird shit. I have a friend I haven't seen in a while too...She moved 3-ish years ago. I have her on Facebook, but she doesn't talk much to me. Ugh, I hate math...the last unit thing we did was pretty easy though. Other fan fictions? Hmm, well I have a Sailor Moon one I'm working on, one based off of a Japanese drama-movie, a Percy Jackson (book series) one with some OC's of mine (though I'm still trying to figure out who in the fic my OC should fall for), and...3 K-Pop related fics. Not sure how many of the fics I listed I should put on here though...but how would I make a minecraft fic..? xD Pair two of the mobs together or something?**

**Wisteria Blossom: Thanks. ^^ Here's the update. Sorry it's so late.**

**Rebecca: Oh, she will. c: ...after a 'boss battle' maybe. ;D Lol.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter guys. :D Don't forget to review. c:**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 16: Chat with friends

Amu sighed as she finished her lunch, now all alone. She felt sad and remorseful.

"How did something so small and pointless turn into a fight?" she wondered to herself.

For some reason, she started to cry, thinking Tadase probably hated her by now. Then she heard the door creak open. She had high hopes it was Tadase coming back to apologize and stood up, but when she looked around the corner, all she saw was Nagihiko and Rima; two people she never expected to see at a time like this. Then again, she barely knew them, so she didn't really know what to expect from them, either.

"Nagihiko-kun, Rima…" she said, walking up to them hesitantly. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Tadase told us what happened." Rima replied softly.

"So we decided to see how you were feeling." Nagihiko added. "And it doesn't seem like you're feeling too good either."

Rima, surprisingly, nodded in agreement. She seemed genuinely concerned. The trio sat down near the door.

"Amu-chan, do you know the saying '_You only hurt the ones you love_'?" Nagihiko asked.

Amu nodded slightly. "Un, kinda. Why?"

Nagihiko casually wiped away Amu's tears. "You seem a little hurt at the moment. Who was it that hurt you again?"

Amu looked away. "You already know. It was Tadase-kun."

"What happened in this argument?"

Amu quickly explained what happened, even including the threat note from Saaya. She paused for a second when she got to the part when Saaya attacked her. She took off her jacket, rolled up her dress shirt, and pulled off her right boot, revealing pink and red stained gauze. She gently removed the gauze from both cuts, which revealed the large cuts that still seemed to be bleeding.

Rima looked away in disgust, but Nagihiko had an angered look on his face. "You mean Yamabuki Saaya, the women that Hotori-kun broke up for wanting to have…er…"

"Sex?" Rima offered with a snicker as Amu wound the gauze back around the cuts.

"Uh, yeah…that. Have…sex with him?"

Amu nodded, checking if the gauzed was secured properly then continued explaining the story until tears welled up in her eyes again. She held them back and continued talking.

"T-then, when I asked him why it seemed liked he was trying to protect me from Saaya, he said it was none of my business and stomped away." She finished.

Rima smirked slightly. "Was he stuttering?"

"Um…yeah…" Amu said, giving Rima a puzzled look. "Why…?"

Rima and Nagihiko exchanged looks, smiling at each other like they knew something.

"What?" Amu asked confusion in her voice.

Nagihiko shook his head and chuckled. "It's nothing."

Amu narrowed her eyes at her two friends. "You guys know something I don't, don't you?

"Anyways," Nagihiko said, changing the subject. "Do you get what I'm saying? Hotori-kun….loves you." When he saw the look on Amu's face, he quickly added, "A-as a friend!"

Rima snickered and mouthed something at Nagihiko, but Amu couldn't catch what she mouthed. She realized she still hadn't asked Nagihiko if he had a sister so she gained her normal posture again.

"Ne, Nagi…kun, if I may call you that, d-do you happen to have a sister…named Nadeshiko?" she asked.

"You don't need to add the honorific at the end of Nagi." Nagihiko replied. "And, as a matter of fact, Nadeshiko is my sister. I also know she was your best friend."

Amu blinked. "H-how—?"

"Did I know?" Nagihiko finished. Amu nodded so Nagihiko continued, "She talks to me a lot through Skype, Facebook and text messages. Just yesterday she told me about you and she was surprised to hear that you went to this school and acted all…BA should I put it?"

Rima rolled her eyes at Nagihiko. "Don't even try to talk like that. You know your mom raised you to speak 'traditionally'."

"Why don't you and Nade go to the same school?" Amu asked.

"Because, since we're twins, we can easily pretend to be each other. By the way, I make a pretty good impression of Nade. If our parents found out we did that, they'd ground us. Thus, she put us in different schools." Nagihiko explained.

Amu nodded and turned to Rima. "So…do _you _have any siblings?"

"Nope."

"So, you're an only child?"

"Yup."

"You don't even want to tell me about yourself, do you?"

"Not at all."

Amu sighed, a little angered she got to learn about Nagi, but Rima didn't wanna spill anything. Nagi chuckled. "She's not used to being friendly with people she's just met."

"Then why did she even come up here with you?" Amu looked away as she got a random death glare from Rima.

"I thought she could cheer you up."

"Cheer me up? She's colder than I am!"

"Once you get to know her more, you'll learn there's a reason she acts that way. However, Rima is actually _very _comedic."

"Really?" Amu glanced at Rima, but Rima glanced away. Was she, perhaps, embarrassed about being into comedy?

"Rima," Nagihiko said, rising to his feet. Rima looked at him. "If I did that ' _bala-balance_' thing, would you do it with me?"

No reply came from Rima but Nagihiko did a weird looking move, while saying 'bala-balance'. The move made Amu crack a smile. Nagihiko's arms were in a pointing position while one of his legs was against the other so he was only balancing on one leg. He was slightly wobbly, but it was still a little funny.

"Nagi! You're _still _doing it wrong!" Rima exclaimed, standing up as well.

"Well, why don't you tell me how to do it properly, again?" Nagihiko replied, winking at Amu.

Reluctantly, Rima did the same move Nagihiko did, but hers was more perfected and straight. "Bala-balance!"

Again, Amu found herself smiling when Rima continued doing the 'Bala-balance' move, now going from side to side. Finally, she burst into a small giggle fit.

When the lunch bell rang, Rima immediately blushed, realizing what she was doing. She ran out the roof door and Amu could hear the patter of Rima's feet on the metal stairs, fading slowly. Nagihiko walked towards Amu, who was still sitting down and helped her up.

"Why does Rima hold in her comedic side?" Amu asked as they walked into the school.

"Rima said she used to act funny a lot. She loved to make people laugh—her parents especially." Nagihiko replied. "But then Rima almost got kidnapped, her parents started blaming each other for it, they got into a fight and stopped laughing at Rima's gags and jokes. She thought that if she couldn't make her parents laugh, she wouldn't be able to make other people laugh either."

Amu nodded, wondering how terrible it would be to see your parents fighting. She never wanted that to happen with her own parents. "Aw, poor Rima…"

* * *

**Sorry that I cut of the chapter so quickly. Hope you don't mind. I was just copying from my notebook. ^^'' But I hope you like this. c: Don't forget-the 80th reviewer gets a shout out in the next chapter! Until then, guys. :3**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is a little short...but I guess it's not really, since it's 954 words without the A/N's. Lol, confused yet? xD If not, good. I don't wanna confuse anyone. We've got a new character in this! But I'm still trying to figure out if she's going to be a good character or a bad character on Saaya's side. Also, congrats to the amazing Tsukiyomi Aori Hotori! She's the 80th review. Though I can't read her stories because they're in Indonesian, she's like a close friend to me. She even takes the time to read my stories, which much be a little complicated since English isn't her 1st language. Unless of course, she translates it somehow...Lol, congratulations my friend, Aori-chan. You get a special cyber tiara. :D -gives Aori-chan a pretty sparkly pink tiara- **

**Aori-chan: Nope, no Tadase. D: This one has an appearance of him. And so does the next one. ^^ Congratulations on being the 80th reviewer. c:**

**AquaBluey: Yup. It was 'get to know Nagi and Rima time' for Amu that episode.^_^ Aw, I'm glad you love this fic so much, despite my amateurish writing skills. :3 Keep up your awesomeness, Aqua. cx**

**Trust Breaker Curtain Faker: Why 88? o_o Though by the time I get the chance to upload a next chapter, this will have more then 88 reviews...Kid? As is Death the Kid? (Know's only that about Soul Eater or whatever Anime he's in.)**

**Dina-chan: Thanks. :33 I guess it's because in this fic, they've known them for a long time and can tolerate each other. xD**

**Ivy-chan: Whaa too much words. D: (Ironic because I'm reading a book that's over 500 pages...) It's not like I'd make a Mine Craft fic anyways...I like writing stories about books/movies/animes rather than games. Dunno why. -shrugs- I guess I'm just weird like that. Every song I listen to (or in my case, learn the English lyrics to because I tend to listen to Korean music a lot) I get an idea for a fic. Like yesterday or something, I was looking for K-Pop song subs that were uploaded on my birthday (July 12) and found a song called Love Virus...now I have an idea for a fic. Lol. K-Pop songs are good Tadamu songs. I usually get really hungry if I don't eat. I've never fainted once in my life...My dad always makes my lunch. xD He doesn't put anything that can get cold or bad in my lunch kit though. My teachers are pretty cool. But they're strict at the same time if that makes sense. My school goes from around 8 something till 3 something on Monday's-Thursday's, and 8 something till like 2 something on Friday's. At my old school we got out at 1-ish on Friday's though...I move all around my school. I have like 3 classes in a portables near my locker and 2-ish at the other end of the school. And a laptop bag that wants to kill my shoulders. . I assumed you had recess at the same time, so YAY, I get a virtual Brofist. (-cough- aintnopartylikeapewdiepiepar ty? -cough-) If you don't get what that means, then ignore it. xD I don't do hardcore/MLG (lol makes no sense irl) stuff...The most hardcore thing I've done was probably Karate, which I just finished in gym...I don't know if that counts, but whatever. I never really leave my house after school, let alone go in the wilderness, so half of those things wouldn't work for me...but I do tend to mix odd foods together. I've dipped a nacho chip in chocolate caramel sauce. Actually, I dip everything in chocolate caramel sauce. Or use anything to dip nacho chips in...I dunno. Everyone says it's gross, but I get my best friend to try it with me and she usually agrees it's good. xD I don't have many interesting stories. xD**

**tadamu4eva: Sorry. D: You get a cookie though. -give's cookie- And nope. Nadeshiko and Nagihiko are two different people in this fic. c: Glad you like this fic. ^^ Yup, I get it. Lol. xD**

**Anyways. Enjoy this chapter. I'll have 2 questions for you in the end A/N. BTW, as you know, I don't own SC or Peach Pit.**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 17: A new friend

Amu walked toward her locker, still thinking about what Nagihiko told her. She quickly stopped though when she spotted Tadase sitting in front of his locker with his head between his knees. Amu sighed sadly.

_Poor Tadase-kun… _she thought sympathetically. _He probably thinks I'm mad at him. Nagi had a good point though… Maybe I should apologize…_

Amu started to approach Tadase, but unfortunately the bell rang again and Tadase looked up. Quickly, Amu swerved to the right where her locker was and gave a sideways glance at Tadase, who was just standing up. She quickly took out her books and made her way to her next class, which she didn't have with Tadase.

_Damn… _Amu thought entering the classroom. _Guess I'll have to apologize later. _

Amu tried her best to stay focused in her class, which was art, but Nagihiko's words kept repeating themselves in her head. When the class had free time to draw whatever, Amu ended up drawing a scene of a girl curled up crying because someone she loved hurt her. The person that hurt her was standing above her, and in a thought bubble, Amu wrote 'I'm sorry, I love you.'

Her teacher absolutely loved it. He showed it to the class, who didn't look as enthused as he did, and told her it was full depth and emotion. Amu's classmates just muttered stuff about wondering why a person like Amu would draw a picture like that.

Out of the corner of her eye, Amu noticed someone was observing her drawing. She figured it was someone that was going to rudely ask why Amu would draw something like that and just ignored the person.

She was shocked when the person said, "Wow, Hinamori-san! That's a really good drawing. I sort of get what it means."

Amu stopped what she was doing and the person continued talking.

"Forgive me for asking a question dozens have probably asked you this class, but why would a person as…icy as you draw something with so much emotion?"

Amu spun on her stool, still trying to get over the fact that someone _other _than that teacher liked her drawing and was being nice to her.

"Oh…it's kinda based off of a quote someone told me at lunch." She replied sheepishly.

"Honto? What was the quote?" the person asked. She was pretty and seemed generally nice, but her eyes made her look a little cold in a way.

"It was 'You only hurt the ones you love'." Amu replied.

"Wow, that's a nice quote. It's a good inspiration for a drawing too!" The girl said, smiling slightly. "You she write that quote somewhere on the page." Suddenly, the girl looked Amu up and down. "You look different from what you looked like yesterday…"

Amu nodded. "Un. I was at a sleep over, but I guess my Mama forgot to pack my accessories."

"Oh, well I must say, you look much prettier without your accessories." The girl grinned.

Amu looked at her paper, hiding a blush. "Thanks, um…I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

"It's Lulu." The girl said. "Yamamoto Lulu de Morcerf."

The girl looked like someone who would be named Lulu. Her curly blonde hair and her blue eyes gave her that foreign look. Judging by her name, French maybe.

"Right. Well, thanks, Lulu." Amu replied.

"Hey, it's no problem." Lulu took out a piece of paper and jotted something on it quickly. She handed it to Amu and added, "Oh, and if you ever need someone to talk to, call or text me."

"U-un…thanks."

"Oh, by the way, if we're friends now, I can call you just Amu, right?"

"Sure, if you want to."

"Great! Well, I guess I should get back to work. Ja-ne, Amu." She began to walk away, but turned back towards Amu. "Right, what's your number? I wanna know it's you when you call or text me."

"I'll write it on a piece of paper and give it to you at the end of class." Amu replied, smiling a little.

Lulu nodded. "'Kay. I'll come and remind you then."

Amu nodded back and turned her focus back on her drawing. She slowly and carefully wrote the quote down in her best English then inked it in a pretty blue color. She finished the basics of the picture and looked over it a final time, checking for anything she might've messed up on.

_Hmm…I wonder if I should give this to Tadase-kun eventually… _She thought. _Or maybe Lulu…_

She added a 'to from' thing to the back of her paper, but left the 'to' part blank until she could figure out who to give it to. Then she added some color to make the picture pop by coloring the girls tears pale blue and the guy's eyes honey colored. She also made the background full of colorful dots.

Glancing at the scrap of paper next to her hand, Amu smiled. She'd made a friend that she could talk to about anything. She had her old friends that were like that too, but they were always so busy with school they couldn't help her much.

Fifth period ended and Amu quickly jotted down her phone number on a piece of scrap paper from her sketch book. When Lulu walked up to her, she handed the scrap paper to her.

"Ne, Lulu? Do you have English next?" Amu asked as they left the art room.

"Mmhm. But I personally prefer French more." Lulu replied.

"I have English too! Wanna sit together?"

"Sure!"

They walked to English class, but Amu couldn't help remember Tadase was in that English class too. Maybe she could apologize then…

* * *

**End chapter 17. ;o Lol, yup. The new character is Lulu! The two questions, right...**

**Question 1: Should Lulu be a loyal friend to Amu, or should she be Saaya's spy?**

**Question 2: Should their be a 'boss fight' between Amu, Tadase and Saaya?**

**Tell me your answers in your reviews. c: I love reviews. I love all your feedback guys. :D Keep it up ^o^**

**~Niki**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry guys! This is a really late update. I guess I just wanted to see how many reviews I could get within a certain amount of time. I was also...a little lazy again. Gomenasai! -bows apologetically- **

**First of all, happy belated Halloween! Second of all, congratulations to charm-d-girl, a guess reviewer, for being the 100th reviewer of this fic (even though she reviewed on the 7th chapter.)! -throws confetti-. And third of all, I hope this chapter isn't too short for you guys. It's 770 words without this A/N.**

**Also, for those who don't know what a boss battle is, in this case, its Amu and Tadase vs. Saaya.**

**AquaBluey: No problem. c: And thanks~ But I honestly don't think I'm THAT good at writing. Thanks for your feedback, BTW. c: I'm terrible at spelling. Especially when chatting to people.**

**Trust Breaker Curtain Faker: Lol, alright. It's fine. I get confused really easily. xD Glad you like this fic. ^^**

**Aori-chan: You're welcome. c: And yay, thanks. ^^ They seem interesting, so I can't wait. :D Thanks for your feedback. And technically, my OC, Niki, and Nagi are her friends to now. Plus she has her old friends, but I get what you mean. ^^ They're not lovers YET...but they will be. c; A boss battle, in terms of video games, is a battle with the boss AKA the biggest and hardest character to beat. But in this case, just read above where I told people what a boss battle is.**

**Ai The Pasta Loving Dragon: Thanks! Glad people like this fic a lot. :33 Alright, thanks for the feed back. c: I agree, another fight would be very interesting.**

**Ivy-chan: It depends. If a red squiggly line was under it, then it's not a word. If it wasn't, then it is. xD I could probably last 3 hours without PROPER food. I'd snack, like chocolate and stuff, but like without dinner or whatever, I could probably survive...Well, interesting pets you have...I don't have pets. My dad hates cats and dogs...not sure why. I'd probably automatically puke if I saw a dead rat...and I had to eat it...I'm very picky. xD My Health teacher is pretty cool. And my photography teacher is really funny. He was 'torturing' us with pictures of his dog. And he kept messing up our names. When she says she's being sarcastic, she says it, but she probably doesn't mean it. In other words, she was kidding. I love PewDie...he's like my 2nd favorite LP (lets play) youtuber. He's hilarious, you really should watch him more. Get to know his obsessions with chairs, pigs and, just recently, beach balls. How many OC's do I have? o_o' Hmm...7 or 8 I believe. Or 10, I dunno. xD But..WHY AND HOW DO YOU HAVE SO MANY OC'S?! BTW, what flavor is the cheesecake? Can it be New York style? c:**

**Dina-chan: I agree, but I also think it would be...interesting if she was on Saaya's side or something and she gets into the boss fight, but gets betrayed by Saaya and makes Amu concerned when Saaya turns on Lulu...I'm sorry if I seem too evil...lol, I'll be quite. And lol, yeah, I called it a boss fight because I didn't know what else to call it. xD**

**Tadamu4eva: I agree, but that's what makes it cool. And I tend to make a lot of people OOC. xD Agreed, it would be more interesting if she was on Saaya's side. xD Yes, you did spell it correctly.**

**Rebecca: Thanks for your feedback. ^^ I'll take it into consideration. c: Also, sorry for such a late update. ^^"**

**Diamond Spirit: Aw, thanks for your kind words. c: I'll take that into consideration. But I've never read ANY fics with Lulu in it..well, no, that's a lie...I've read 1 or 2...but none where she was a spy...A twist? What kind of twist? I'm not that creative...lol. Thanks for reading. ^^**

**Zi: Thanks. I'll take that into consideration. :33 **

**colorfulsummerdays: Wow, that sucks. I hate having to re-write stuff. It take up so much time. I believe I remember you. Your name seems familiar. I'm not sure where, probably in another one of my fics...(sorry, I have terrible memory =_=) Ohh, what did you think about Mark of Athena? The ending makes me wanna murder Rick Riordan, but I'm sure something good will happen. If that's like and RPG game, I'm already on way too many, sorry, but I do enjoy watching Legend of Korra in case you wanted to know. c: Though I tend to miss episodes because it's always on 11:30 on a Saturday and I tend to sleep in alot. xD Of course I wouldn't do anything to break apart Tadamu! Now, Amuto..sure. xD But definitely not Tadamu. And, since I'm not sure if you understand MY concept of 'boss fight', but I mean like, Amu and Tadase vs Saaya. But thanks for your feedback, and thanks for reading. c:**

**charm-d-girl: Thanks for your feedback. And yes, I do mean Amu and Tadase vs. Saaya. And for your question on the 7th chapter, no, there is no charas in this. The only charas will be Amu's, and they're not related to her, plus they're human.**

**Also, next chapter will have another character appearance! Like I said, I'll try to incorporated all of the major/semi-major characters in this fic. c: **

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy **

Chapter 18: No time for apologies

"My desk is right here." Amu said as she and Lulu walked into the English classroom. "My…er, friend usually sits beside me, but I'm sure he won't mind if you borrow his spot for today."

"Alright." Lulu put her book-bag on the floor near the desk and sat down. Amu did the same thing with her book-bag and sat on the right of Lulu.

"So, who's your friend and what's he like?" Lulu asked, looking towards Amu.

"O-oh…" Amu faltered, trying to figure out what to say. "His name is Hotori Tadase. You should know him. But you know what? I think that I actually l—"

At that exact moment, Tadase walked into the classroom alone and looked around.

"You think you actually what?" Lulu pressed. "Tell me! I wanna help you somehow!"

Amu shook her head and jutted it in Tadase's direction. Tadase was just standing there, staring at Amu and Lulu. It was a little creepy to Amu, but she tried to ignore it.

"Ohhh! I see. You don't want to say anything because Tadase is here now!" Lulu exclaimed in realization.

_That's partly right… _Amu thought. But she just said, "Yeah…that."

"Ah, souka." Lulu nodded in understanding. "Well, tell me what it was whenever you feel comfortable."

Amu smiled weakly and nodded. "U-un…"

Lulu's eyes flickered to where Tadase was still staring at them. She looked back at Amu and sighed.

"Are you sure Tadase is fine with me sitting here?" she asked. "The way he's staring at us is making me uncomfortable."

_Probably not… _Amu thought. _I just don't want to talk to Tadase-kun right now…But I still want to apologize to him…_

Amu just nodded. She obviously wasn't going to tell Lulu about her and Tadase's little argument…Well, not yet.

"Alrighty then…But don't you think you should tell Tadase why I'm sitting with you?"

"NO!" Amu exclaimed, but quickly cleared her throat, "I—er—I mean, nah…I'm too…lazy. I'm sure he's glad I'm making new friends."

"Are you sure? You don't sound very positive about it, Amu."

"Well…jitsuwa*…" Amu trailed off but lowered her voice and continued, "I—I'm a little afraid to talk to him right now…for a certain reason."

"Why don't I go tell him instead then?" Lulu asked.

"Er…no, it's fine. I'll—I'll just call him over to sit on the other side of me…I guess…" Amu said nervously. She waved her hand to get Tadase's attention.

Tadase looked over and it seemed like he smiled for a second or two but a second later, his face was straight. Amu hesitantly pointed to the desk next to her on the left. Again, Tadase looked grateful and it lingered for a while as he made his way over to Amu and Lulu.

"H-hi, Tadase-kun…!" Amu said, trying to sound upbeat.

"Hello there, Amu-chan." Tadase smiled.

For some reason, Amu sensed Tadase's smile was genuine…yet she still had a feeling this was all part of Tadase's plan to make Lulu think him and Amu were friends.

"Hello there, Tadase." Lulu said with a small wave of her hand. "I'm Yamamoto Lulu de Morcerf. By the way, sorry for taking the spot you usually sit in. Amu insisted I sit beside her."

Tadase smiled again, but again, Amu could tell it was less genuine than the one Tadase had given to her.

"It's no problem…really. I—I'm just happy that Amu-chan is finally making more friends."

Amu looked down nervously. On a piece of scrap she wrote, '_I'm sorry._', but when Tadase glanced over at it, she quickly crumpled it up into a ball and smiled weakly at him. She desperately wanted to give that piece of paper to Tadase, since it obviously counted as an apology, but she also wanted to throw the paper out because she was embarrassed about it. She was so conflicted, it was confusing her.

Finally, the teacher came into the room and class started. All through class, Amu tried to think of a better way to apologize other than that stupid note. 'Hey, Tadase-kun. Sorry for denying you. It _was _your fault!'

Amu shook her head. _Definitely not. That would probably make Tadase-kun even madder…_

'Tadase-kun! I'm terribly sorry for causing an argument between us! Let's go back to being friends!'

Amu shook her head once again. _What that hell is that? That is definitely __**NOT **__my style!_

Eventually, Amu gave up, unable to think of a good way to apologize and patiently waited for school to end so she could go Tadase's house to pick her stuff up and go home to think.

* * *

**Only one Japanese word in this chapter that you guys might need to know. **

**Jitsuwa: means 'actually'.**

**Also, sorry if I seem to make Lulu sound stupid. I don't try to...It's just accidental. She's probably really intelligent. **

**Until my next update, ja-ne! 3**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry for that long wait. I got lazy, plus I was sick at some point. But here's the latest chapter! I'll ask this question once more, even though I might plan on doing it anyways; Does anyone want there to be a fight with Tadase and Amu vs. Saaya? Answer in reviews please~ :3 (PS; Yes, I did change my penname again)**

**AquaBluey: I'm glad my last chapter made you 'emotional' in different ways. This chapter should be much longer. (literally; it's 1 927 words w/o the A/N) **

**Aori-chan: Well this chapter will certainly make up for the last one. It's almost over 2000 words. And thanks. c: Jaejoong (the angel guy) acted really well in that drama/movie~**

**Miku'Kitaro-Chan: You guessed right~ But first Amu gets to meet Ikuto.**

**tadamu4eva: Yeah, I'll make it like that...maybe. Don't worry, I'm not a master either. Hence why my friend, Aori-chan AKA Tsukiyomi Aori Hotori is always being generous enough to correct my Japanese.**

**x-Cloud Adventurer: Good idea. I was actually planning on doing that. I might do something similar to that though. Glad you like this story~**

**Guest: Glad you like it~**

**Ivy-chan: I see...Well have fun not starving (no rudeness intended in this line). I've never had a pet...so yeah. Meh, my dad used to have dogs as a child. He once had a chihuahua named Jose. Well I dislike seeing freshly dead stuff. It's just...bleck. My Health teacher is...well I can't explain it. He's just cool. And pretty funny. So is my religion teacher. Photography is a CTS type thing. I keep forgetting what CTS stands for though, sorry. T_T I love taking pictures. If you went on my deviantART, if you know what that is, you'd notice I have a photography file with a few pictures. I watch a lot of people. UberHaxorNova, ImmortalHD, etc. ...I just make OC's based upon anime's I like or things I plan on making...I hate half of the people/guys in my class anyways. Sweet! -noms NY style cheesecake-**

**Dana-chan: Yeah...I didn't MEAN to make her sound stupid. I couldn't help it. I was just trying to make her sound like she was understanding stuffs.**

**Colorfulsummerdays: Neither do I. But if Rick kills off Percabeth, I'll throw my book out the window. Oh, right! Sorry. I have short term memory. xD Thanks. This one is MUCH longer. **

**Rebecca: Yes, yes he will. And no, I already mentioned there wasn't any guardian characters other chan human forms of Ran, Miki, Suu and Dia.**

**Eva-chan: Welcome back, imouto (little sis)~ Glad you like this. I guess this can be made specially for you, since it's so long~ And we're never online on FB at the same time. T_T**

**Enjoy this incredibly long chapter, guys! (PS, sorry it drags out quite a bit)**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 19: Meeting Tadase's 'brother' and apologies.

The final bell rang and Amu raced out of the school, quickly making her way to Tadase's house before he did so she could get her stuff without having to confront him first. She just hoped she hadn't accidently locked the door before she left.

She was glad to know she didn't lock the door, and slipped through it, quickly grabbing the bag, which was just near the door, too. She ran back out just as Tadase was walking up his front steps. For a second, Tadase looked confused. As if he was wondering why Amu was in his house, but then he seemed to remember Amu was over for a sleep over.

Amu quickly rushed past Tadase, practically pushing him out of the way by accident and ran home. It wasn't far from Tadase's house when she heard an unfamiliar voice calling her,

"Hey, you!" the voice called again.

Amu spun on her heals, just in time to see a kid around 18, land several feet away from her. What surprised Amu was he landed perfectly, but seemed to have jumped out of a tree. He was tall, probably almost 6 feet, with blue hair and indigo eyes. He seemed both mysterious and mischievous.

"Wh-who, me?" Amu stammered as the person started to leisurely walk towards her.

"No, that fire hydrant behind you!" the person said sarcastically. "Of course you!"

"What do you want, anyways?" Amu asked coldly, trying to use her cool act to cover up her nervousness.

"Where did you just come from?" He asked. "And why did you seem to be in such a hurry?"

"Why do you care?" Amu replied.

"Can't a man be curious?"

"My Mama told me not to talk to strangers. Therefore, since I don't know you, you're a stranger, and it's none of your business!"

"Well, aren't you a feisty one?" the person smirked.

Suddenly, his smirk faded and he narrowed his eyes at Amu, looking her up in down. "Hmm…" he muttered to himself. "Hold on…bubblegum pink hair and golden eyes like honey… Are you, perhaps, Hinamori Amu?"

Amu stepped back in surprise. "Wha…? W-who are you and how do you know my name?!"

"I'm Tsukiyomi Ikuto." The person, Ikuto, replied. "And as to how I know your name…I have a step-brother that tends to talk about you." He jutted his head in the direction Amu had just come from. "He lives over there. In the direction you just ran from a few minutes ago."

"Huh? It must be a—wait a second! Y-you're Tadase-kun's so called brother?!"

Ikuto nodded. "Yeah, but only because my mom went crazy after my father died."*

"Oh…well, are you and Tadase-kun close? I mean, you said he talks to you about me…I've only known him for 3 days now…"

"I guess…" Ikuto shrugged. "We don't _talk _much. But he'll sometimes email me and my sister, since we're always busy preforming concerts and stuff. We're still not as close as we used to be though."

Amu was getting more and more confused. "Your sister…?"

Ikuto nodded. "Yup. You should know her. She's Hoshina Utau."

"WHAT?! _You're _Hoshina Utau's brother?"

Ikuto nodded. "I know what you're thinking and the reason my surname is Tsukiyomi and hers is Hoshino is because I was forced to live with my crazy grandfather who made me change my surname to his so he could call me his 'kid'."

"Ah…" Amu said, nodding in understanding. She looked at her watch. "Well…it was nice meeting you, Ikuto, but I've got to get going."

"Alright, catch ya later, Amu." Ikuto replied and with that, jumped up onto the nearest tree and hopped away.

_Well, he's quite agile…almost like a cat. _Amu thought, turning around to continue walking. _A little hot too…_

Amu pushed the last thought out of her mind and kept on walking. When she got to her house, she immediately went into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

"If that guy isn't the definition of _creepy _I don't know what is…" she muttered to herself. "But…he did say Tadase-kun talked to him about me…I wonder what he said about me…"

Amu dared to wonder if he had possibly told Ikuto about their…kiss, but quickly shook her head.

_Iie… _She thought. _I don't think Tadase-kun would wanna tell __**anyone **__that. It's our little secret and no one needs to hear about it._

An hour later, Amu was called down by her mother for dinner. After she finished her meal, she went to put her plate in the sink and looked out the window. It looked like a storm was on its way but Amu took that as an advantage to think stuff through and walked to the door to put her shoes and a light jacket on. She didn't care if it would rain or not, but her parents did.

"Amu-chan, dear, where are you going?" her mother asked.

"I have…something I forgot to do." Amu lied.

"Are you sure you're going to be warm enough?"

"Yes, Mama. I'll be fine."

"Alright, you can go. But stay safe and come back soon."

Amu nodded. "I will."

With than Amu walked out of the house and took in the moist evening air. It was chilly and windy, but Amu didn't want to turn back just yet. She kept thinking about apologizing and wondering what Tadase told Ikuto about her.

Amu didn't realize it was raining until she looked around and noticed it was raining everywhere but around her. She looked around her, but saw nothing useful. The rain wasn't even slowing down. Then she decided to look above her. Place over her head was a navy blue umbrella.

_W-what…? _She thought then turned around and gasped. "Ta—Ta—Tadase-kun?!"

The prince like boy smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Amu-chan…"

"B-but…you—I thought you…" Amu stammered, but with all her confusion, she faltered.

Knowing what Amu was trying to say, Tadase shook his head. "Iie, I was never mad at you. I was just…frustrated and confused, you know. To be honest, I thought _you _were mad at _me_ with the way you acted."

The two walked side by side quietly under the umbrella for a while before Amu finally spoke again.

"I'm _really _sorry about that…I was frustrated too. I didn't want to blame you…but I didn't want to blame myself, either, even though I knew it _was_ my fault. I was the one who was too careless to scream or fight back."

"Hey, don't worry, Amu-chan. I'm more worried about _you _right now. You seem to be cold."

Amu looked down. "I-iie…I'm, not _that _cold…"

"Your jacket doesn't seem so warm though…Here let me—"

Tadase was about to take his jacket off to give it to Amu when a loud boom shook the dark sky. The clouds lit up a couple seconds later.

Amu jumped and gripped Tadase's arm tightly, muttering, "Ohh, no…Not a thunderstorm…not now!"

Tadase chuckled. "So, you're afraid of thunderstorms, eh? What else did you forget to tell me?"

Amu blushed. "N-no…I didn't _forget _to tell you I was afraid of thunderstorms…I—I was just…embarrassed."

Tadase smiled and gently wrapped his arm around Amu protectively, hoping she wouldn't reject it. Fortunately, she just looked at him, her face lit up with a delicate pink color.

"Don't worry, Amu-chan." Tadase reassured. "I'm here for you."

Amu nodded then abruptly asked, "Ne, Tadase-kun…is your otou-san home?"

"Huh? Um…he should be. We just finished dinner, so, probably…naze?"

"I want to turn Saaya in…"

Tadase nodded and squeezed Amu's shoulder supportively. "I'm sure my otou-san will solve this."

Amu smiled. "Oh, but first I need evidence. The letters I've gotten so far are in the desk in my room."

"Alright, let's go to your house then."

"Un." Amu said with a nod.

They turned around and walked back into the direction of Amu's house. The two were both quiet, deep in thought, but they didn't mind. The silence wasn't awkward. It was the kind of silence that only happens with friends or people you enjoy being around.

Finally, they arrived at Amu's place and Tadase waited outside while Amu went to get the things that she needed to get. She came back a couple minutes later with more than Tadase expected her to come out with. She had the letters, yes, but she also had a black and pink toque with small black and white ears on them, a pink and black striped scarf and a pair of pink gloves. In her coat pocket, Tadase noticed a black iPod Nano and around her neck over the scarf, was a pair of black headphones with a white skull in the middle, attached to the iPod.

"Um…A-Amu-chan?" Tadase asked confused. "What's this all about…?"

Amu looked down. She went quiet for a minute, but she finally said, "You said you were worried I'd get cold…so I got some warmed clothing. You also seem a little about me being afraid of—"

A loud thunderclap shook they sky and echoed all around Amu and Tadase, causing Amu to jump and yelp. Bravely, Tadase took Amu's hand in his, squeezed it and gave Amu a smile that said, 'It's alright, I'm here. There's no reason to be afraid.'

Amu took a breath and continued her sentence. "—afraid of thunderstorms, so I brought my iPod out to drown out the sound a little."

Tadase smiled while unknowingly blushing. "You…you did all this…to stop me from worrying?"

Amu nodded nervously. "U-un…"

"Well, aren't you thoughtful?"

Amu smiled and took her iPod from her pocket. She was about to put her headphones in when she had an idea.

"…Ne, Tadase-kun?" she muttered.

"Yeah, Amu-chan?"

"Would you like to listen to music with me?"

"Huh? How am I supposed to do that when you have headphones? Those do not work for two people like ear-buds do, ya know."

"Yeah, I know." Amu reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small container. She pulled out a pair of white ear-buds. "I always keep a spare with me, just in case these break."

Tadase nodded. "That's smart. But I still can't listen to your iPod when there's only 1 headphone jack and two headphones."

Amu took out a small plug in from the container and put the box back into her pocket. "This little thing allows you to use two headphones at the same time. You plug it into the headphone jack on the iPod, MP3 player, or whatever, then put the headphones in the 2 little jacks on the top."

Tadase examined the small iPod accessory. "Hmm…that's pretty clever, Amu-chan. I'd never be able to think to bring something like everywhere."

Amu blushed but managed a grin. "Arigatou, Tadase-kun!"

Tadase gave the jack plug-in back to Amu and she slipped it in the headphone jack. She put the two headphones into it and handed one of the sets to Tadase. She slipped the black headphones that were around her neck over her ears. Tadase put the other set of headphones into his ears and Amu took out her iPod.

Around half way back to Tadase's house, they heard footsteps behind them. They ignored them, assuming it was just some person that happened to be walking in the same direction as the two, but when they sped up, so did the footsteps behind them. Finally, they heard a voice snarl out, "Well, well. What do we have here?" Tadase spun around at the sound of the voice, taking Amu with him. She gasped.

* * *

**A/N: Nothing really to say. The star after Ikuto says "Yeah, but only because my mom went crazy after my father died." is because I changed the story line/background of him slightly. Hope you guys don't mind~**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter, and don't forget to give me your feedback on my question.**

**Ja-ne guys~**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Merry Christmas, guys~ I finished this chapter yesterday and wanted to upload it, but my friend/little sister (The Time Lady Evangeline) said to wait for her to review on the previous chapter before posting this. But here it is today! Hope you all enjoy this little 'Christmas gift' and I hope you got what you wanted. (And if you don't celebrate Christmas, hope you had a happy holiday, if you had one) WARNING: This Chapter is REALLY LONG (and full of intense-ness)**

**Aori-chan: Oops, sorry. ^^; I'm terrible at spelling sometimes...Hope you like this chapter. c:**

** : Thanks, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Rebecca: You guessed right! Hope you like this chapter~**

**Ivy-chan: Lol, sorry about that. xD And nope, never in my life have I had a pet. My parents don't think I'd be able to take care of one. I'll most likely get one when/if I move out of the house. Yeah, history here is under Social Studies. But in a Public school there's probably History. Well, yeah. I have a deviantART. I'm not very good though...I don't talk to many people...I'm actually quite shy. I don't do creepy/disgusting stuff...I watch a lot of it though...And sometimes I say something and my friends turn it dirty...But yeah. Nothing really.**

**Dana-chan: Aw, really? Thanks~ c: And yeah. There's more Ikuto and Tadase in good terms in this chapter, too~**

**Miku'Kitaro-Chan: You guess correctly. c: Hope you like this chapter! :3**

**Blue Blossom: You'll have to read to find out, Blossom. I'll keep writing it until I think of a good ending for it~ (Knowing me it'll never happen. xD)**

**Eva-chan: Oh, you silly little sister. Not yet, missy. But there is some fluff~**

**Anyways, I don't own SC or it's characters. I only own the OOC-ness. Enjoy~**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 20: Best Person Wins

Tadase released Amu's hand and, on instinct, pushed her behind him gently, re-grabbing her hand once more. The red haired girl just smirked. Tadase scowled right back at her.

"Aw, protecting your little 'friend', Tadase?" the red haired girl said sarcastically. "How cute. You see, Hinamori, another piece of evidence that Tadase likes you."

Tadase gritted his teeth. "Shut up, Saaya. You have no right to talk to Amu-chan like that."

"What happened to being in a fight, then huh, Tadase?" Saaya asked, crossing her arms.

"None of your business about that." Tadase growled. He stepped forwards. "How did you find us, anyways?"

"Oh, just going for a stroll. I guess God led me to you guys." Saaya grinned evilly.

"Or Satan." Tadase muttered under his breathe.

"What was that, Tadase?" Saaya asked. "Did you say something?"

"No, no. I was just talking to myself."

"Tadase-kun…Can you let go of me, please? I'm sure Saaya won't hurt me. Not when you're here." Amu muttered from behind Tadase.

Tadase hesitated for a second, but reluctantly, let go of Amu. She took off her headphones and put them back around her neck, then stood beside Tadase. She glared at Saaya.

"What is it that you want, Saaya?" she snarled, anger and distaste high in her voice.

"Oh, nothing really." Saaya said innocently. "Like I said, I was just going for a stroll and happened to spot you guys. I decided to…talk with you."

"Yes, yes. I'm guessing you wanted to say I had my second strike." Amu said. Then she lied and added, "It's fine, I won't be around Tadase after this. You don't need to hurt me, either."

"I have one question for you guys—" Saaya said. "Why were you holding hands?"

"Because of the thunderstorm. Amu-chan got scared." Tadase said. He hadn't realized it was still raining until he heard a clap of thunder and noticed Amu yelp quietly beside him.

"And how does that involve hand holding?"

"H-he was trying to keep me calm, Saaya." Amu said. "Why don't you just _lay-off_?"

"Oh, I'll lay-off. After _you _stop messing with my boyfriend!"

"Stop calling him your boyfriend! He doesn't love you. He said to me himself he likes someone else."

"Oh, really? Did he say who?"

"He said he'd tell me later. Why does it matter?"

"Maybe he was talking about you."

Amu blushed and turned to Tadase. "W-were you?"

Tadase shook his head quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "N-no! Not at all, Amu-chan!"

"Anyways, so what if he likes me? Don't you still love him?" Amu said, regaining her composure.

Saaya looked away. "N-no…"

Amu crossed her arms. "Really now? Didn't you say you still loved him back when you tried to slice me into bits? You said this when I asked if you still loved him and were jealous, 'Of course I still love him! But I am _not _jealous!' am I right?"

"S-so what? He was the one the broke up with me. It's not like I broke up with him!" Saaya pouted.

"I broke up with you because you wanted to have intercourse with me!" Tadase defended.

"Tadase-kun…" Amu muttered. "Don't call it 'intercourse', please…that's weird."

Tadase blushed. "Ah, gomen, Amu-chan." He cleared his throat. "Anyways, what you wanted to do was wrong for people our age, Saaya."

"But all of my friends—" Saaya began, but got cut off by Amu.

"No. Just because your friends did it, doesn't mean you have to hop on the bandwagon too, Saaya."

"You know what, Hinamori?" Saaya seethed. "I've had enough of you. Let's have a bargain."

Amu tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

Saaya took out the same pocket knife she used when she attacked Amu the first time. "I bargain a duel. Last person able to stand gets Tadase."

"W-what?" Amu took a step back. "Come now, Saaya. How about something friendlier. Like…A simple talk."

"Yeah, Saaya. Amu-chan doesn't deserve this!" Tadase defended.

"She _stole _you from me, Tadase! She deserves this fully." Saaya sneered.

Tadase gave Saaya a smug look and stepped in front of Amu, who took out her cellphone. She dialed a number and was about to say something into it. Then she got tackled from behind, sending her cell phone flying. She fell into Tadase and rolled away. The gauze on her cut must have gotten cut by a rock because when she tried to stand up, she screeched in pain.

"Well, well. Seems like I've won already." Saaya said triumphantly.

"Nice try, Saaya." Amu said as Tadase helped her up.

"Not fair! Tadase's helping you!"

Tadase moved away from Amu and she steadied herself, trying not to put too much pressure onto her right leg. She stood with a straight face, hoping to convince Saaya she wasn't fazed. In actuality, Amu was in deep pain, even though her right leg was barely touching the cement.

~•~

Meanwhile on the other line of Amu's phone call, the person Amu called was panicking slightly. A distressed Lulu sat on her bed with her phone pushed against her ear, trying to hear what was going on wherever her new friend was.

She could've sworn she heard her ex-friend, Yamabuki Saaya yelling at Amu. She sure hoped she wasn't right though. She also heard Amu shriek a couple minutes before that. She put her phone on her bed, leaving it open just in case something happened and stood up.

_Oh, I hope Amu's okay…_ She thought as she dug through her closet to find something to wear. Her pajamas wouldn't be very warm in this rainy weather.

She pulled out a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt and quickly pulled the articles of clothing. She picked up her phone and ran to her living room and into the front room. She pulled on some boots and a rain jacket and opened the front door.

~•~

Saaya scowled at Amu and threw her pocketknife. It was aimed towards Amu's left leg, hoping to cripple both of Amu's legs so she wouldn't be able to stand up at all without Tadase's help. Instead, it hit Tadase's leg. He'd dove in front of Amu as soon as he spotted the knife coming toward her left leg.

He yelled in pain, causing Amu to look down in horror as her best friend held his leg. She gasped and yelled out, "Tadase-kun!"

She noticed Saaya walk up to Tadase and take the knife out of his leg. The look on her face seemed apologetic as he looked at Tadase in pain. Amu could tell she didn't want to hurt Tadase. Then, when she looked at Amu, her look changed to loathing.

"This is your fault, you know." She spat out. "If you hadn't met Tadase, none of this would have happened. Now look. I crippled one of Tadase's legs."

"How is it _my _fault?" Amu asked with a sneer. "He was just trying to help me. Like a _good _friend does."

"Oh, shut up, dummy." Saaya said.

"Don't call her a dummy, Saaya." Tadase defending, leaning on his elbow. "She's much more capable of some things then you are."

Saaya rolled her eyes. "Stay out of this, Tadase. I don't want you any more hurt."

Amu took a step back again and glanced at her cell phone. Then she glanced at Tadase. She knelt down beside him and looked at his leg. Grimacing, she took off on of the strips of gauze wrapped around her leg and put it leaned over Tadase.

"Baka." She muttered to him. "You didn't need to do that. Now look what you've done."

Tadase laughed. "I'm fine. Just don't lose."

Amu nodded and was about to wrap the surprisingly clean gauze when she went flying into the air. She would've freaked out until she realized she was being carried by someone and not flying because Saaya punched/kicker her really hard. She looked up at her 'savior' and noticed the familiar indigo blue hair.

"I-Ikuto…?" she asked, astonished someone like him saved her from whatever Saaya was going to do.

"Oh, you remembered my name." Ikuto teased. "Anyways, you better thank me. That chick almost kicked you in the spine."

The blue haired young man landed and put Amu down on the tree branch he landed on. He turned to her as she tried not to stand on her right leg. With a worried look, he steadied her with his hands.

"Amu…What's happening?" he asked seriously. "Why is that girl trying to kill you and why is Tadase on the ground?"

Amu sighed. "I-it's a long story that started out on the first day I came to school…"

"Well the chick doesn't know where we went, so spill." Ikuto said nonchalantly.

"It started out, as I said, the first day I came to the new school." Amu started to explain. "I met Tadase-kun as soon as I went to my locker. Somehow, we became insta-friends. He invited me to eat lunch with him in a spot he said he used to go with his ex-girlfriend, Saaya, the girl down there looking for me."

"Ah, I see. So she's jealous of you?" Ikuto asked.

Amu nodded. "She's attacked me once before. 2 days ago, I believe. I got a few cuts, but I'm alright now….I, uh, guess…"

Ikuto glanced down. "Your leg…"

Amu looked down too. "Yeah…that was what happened when she attacked me the first time. I was going to give the gauze to Tadase-kun because he got cut just now; saving me, but then you swooped by."

"Where's the gauze now?" Ikuto asked.

"It's right—" Amu looked down at her hand and realized the piece of gauze was gone. "Oh…I guess I dropped it…"

Ikuto nodded and Amu added, "Well, anyways, can we go back down? I'm getting a little…light headed up here."

"Alright. Grab on." Ikuto said.

"Huh?" Amu didn't understand what he meant for some reason.

"My neck. Grab onto it. I'm gonna jump down from the tree. Are you that stupid?"

Amu pouted. "No. I just didn't know what you meant. Jeez."

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "Just grab my neck."

"Alright, fine." Amu leaned toward Ikuto and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Now, hold on tight." Ikuto added.

Amu tightened her grip and Ikuto jumped out of the tree. They landed swiftly on the ground a few feet from Saaya. A shocked look appeared on her face as Saaya watched Ikuto and Amu land and Amu step away from him. Then it turned to confusion, then to triumphant.

"Well, I guess I didn't have to worry about you and Tadase." She said as Amu walked back up to Tadase, who was now sitting on the ground, after finding the gauze. "You seem to have a guy already."

Tadase looked toward Amu in surprise. She shook her head at him, mentally telling him Saaya was just making stupid assumptions. Tadase smiled in response, which made Amu think he would be jealous if Ikuto actually did like her.

"Oh…" Amu muttered, looking down at the gauze in her hand. It was full of dirt, water and mud because of the rain. She thought for a second then ripped part of her shirt off.

Tadase gasped. "Amu-chan, what are you doing?!"

"Helping you." Amu replied. He turned to Ikuto, jutted her head then turned back to Tadase.

Ikuto, knowing what she meant, hopped in front of her and Tadase. Just then, Lulu crashed the party, but ended up tripping over Amu and Tadase. She landed on the other side of Tadase in a crouching position.

"Hi, what did I miss?" Lulu sputtered out. "Are you alright, Amu? What's going on?" She glanced at Tadase. "Whoa! Tadase-kun, what happened?"

Tadase smiled. "It's nothing, Lulu-san."

"Tadase-kun, you just got stabbed in the leg by a pocketknife. That is definitely not 'nothing'!" Amu said, wrapping the piece of ripped fabric around Tadase's leg.

He groaned at the sudden pressure on the cut. "I was just trying to calm her, goodness."

"Sorry…" Amu muttered. "I'm just…worried. That cut looks pretty deep."

"Hello!" Saaya said impatiently. "I'm still here. And I won't leave until one of us loses."

Amu sighed, told Lulu to keep an eye on Tadase, and stood up. "Fine."

She walked over to Saaya, took her knife as quickly as she could and pushed her down. She threw the knife away and it skidded across the cement. A shocked Saaya tried to get up but Amu stepped on her. Ikuto walked towards the knife and picked it up.

"Confiscated." He muttered, closing it and putting it in his pocket. Then he walked towards Tadase and looked him over carefully.

"Oh, look. I won. That was pretty hard." Amu said sarcastically. "Now buzz off and stop bugging us. We're just friends, jeez women."

Amu removed her foot from Saaya's abdomen and let her stand up. She then pushed her away lightly, saying, "Now, leave. Or I'll call the cops complaining about a stabbing."

"I'd do it anyways." Ikuto said with a shrug as he stood up.

Saaya crossed her arms and huffed. She was about to say something when Amu took out her cellphone. "Do you want to go to a family court and/or possibly get an adult trial? How would your parents feel if they were told you were in a police station?"

Finally, Saaya sighed in defeat and walk away. Amu sighed with relieve then fell on the floor in exhaust. Tadase, who had been watching Amu in amazement, called out to her then ended up getting Ikuto to help him make his way towards her.

When they got to Amu, Tadase sat down next to her. "Amu-chan? What's wrong?"

"Why are you asking that to me? You're the one that's hurt." Amu complained, looking at Tadase.

"You're hurt too, still." Tadase said worriedly. "I surely hope the reason you fell wasn't because you're wounds started bleeding again."

Amu shook her head. "Iie, I'm fine. I just need some more gauze for the leg that had the gauze I was going to give to you…we should get to the hospital again. Ikuto, I noticed you looking over Tadase-kun. How does he look?"

"We need to head to a hospital, like you said, so he can get proper treatment. If we leave him like this, the cut might get infected." Ikuto informed. "And, I'm no nurse, but I think he has a high risk of it getting infected soon."

Amu nodded and stood up. She held a hand down to Tadase to help him up, too. Ikuto helped too, and shouldered Tadase with ease. Amu took Tadase's other arm and carefully, the three made their way to the nearest hospital.

* * *

**And, it finally ends! Hope you didn't mind the length. But if you like it this long, I'll start doing it like this. It'll take a while due to my laziness, but I'll do it~**

**(PS: Sorry for hurting poor Tadase...I needed it so Ikuto could come into play.)**

**Until next time, and once again, Happy Holidays; Niki-chan!**


	21. Chapter 21

**_A/N: well, finally I got this finished! But this wouldn't be up so soon without the help of my friend and lovely online little sister, The Time Lady Evangeline, AKA Eva. She gave me a few ideas and I used them in this chapter. So thank her for the majority of this chapter~ _**

**_Aori-chan: I wouldn't say SHORT, there. That chapter was nearly 3,000 words WITH the A/N. This one is a little shorter though._**

**_Ivy-chan: They obviously don't trust me enough, even with a fish. I have a terrible memory and get distracted REALLY easily. Plus, I'm lazy. (And I hate the food form of fish. v_v) I don't find my self good. But I still draw, just for the fun. I like looking at other people's drawings...Then get mad when I see people who are good at drawing hands, feet and any anatomy. It's true, I have a lot of online friends...but it's not like I actually know them or they actually know my friends. My rl friends...well...a lot of them tease me about who I like. At least my online friends don't know who I'm talking about, nor would they tell him. I'm bad at scaring people...I can't even handle horror movies. A lot of stuff scares the sh*t out of me...I turn things dirty though, too. I'd want a dog. Or a red panda. c: I love red pandas. They're so cute. _**

**_Rebecca: Most likely. All stories and in a happy ending, don't they? (Oh...they don't? Well...most do.)_**

**_Dana-chan: He'll be in good hands, so don't worry. Saaya...well, she's just a crazy, obsessed, sadistic girl._**

**_Stargazing Miracle: Thanks. You're too kind. I know you've been waiting for this chapter, so here it is._**

**_AquaBluey: Thanks~ I enjoy your support of this fanfic._**

**_Ignore the lame chapter title...I didn't wanna leave it blank, so I quickly added it in just now. Other than that, enjoy~_**

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

Chapter 21: Unfortunate situation.

The conversation on the way to the hospital was light. Amu was explaining what happened between her and Saaya to Lulu, who had tagged along. Tadase was glancing between Amu and Ikuto, wondering why Ikuto saved her from getting a kick in the back, and also wondering why Ikuto was being so careful with him. He listened to Amu and Lulu's conversation patiently, waiting for her to finish so he could talk to her without interrupting anything.

"Amu-chan." Tadase said after she finished the story.

Amu looked over at him. "What is it, Tadase-kun?"

"Thanks for taking care of my leg temporarily." Tadase said with a smile.

Amu held back a blush. "You're welcome."

Behind them, Lulu giggled softly to herself and said quietly, "Seems like Amu likes Tadase~"

Then her gaze landed on Ikuto. She wanted to know who he was and what kind of relation Amu and Tadase had with him. She also, maybe possibly, wanted to know if he was single…Not that she thought she had a chance with him. She blushed at the thought.

The four arrived at the hospital and Ikuto called for some nurses. The same nurses that attended to Amu before came rushing into the lobby. They smiled at Amu and Tadase.

"Amu-san!" The blonde one, Kanako, said happily. "Funny seeing you here again!"

The black haired one, Meridian, hit Kanako, who rubbed her arm. "What seems to be the problem this time, Amu-san?"

"There was another, er, attack…" Amu replied as simply as she could. "I might need some new gauze, and Tadase-kun, here, might need some too."

"Sure thing, Amu-san, Tadase-san." Kanako said.

The two nurses whisked Amu and Tadase away and Ikuto and Lulu followed them into a small check-up room. Seeing that Tadase seemed much worse than Amu, they told him to sit on the bed first. Amu, Lulu, and Ikuto sat down nearby.

"So, Amu." Lulu started. "Care to introduce me to your, ah, friend?"

"Huh?" Amu gave Lulu a confused look, then seemed to realize dumbly who she was talking about. "OH! You mean Ikuto."

Lulu nodded and looked over at the blue haired young adult. He looked towards Amu who just rolled her eyes as if saying 'Introduce yourself, idiot!'

Ikuto sighed. "Hey, 'sup. I'm Tsukiyomi Ikuto. I'm Tadase's, uh, 'step-brother'. My sister is Hoshina Utau. And yeah." He sounded bored.

Lulu's blue eyes lit up as she gaped at Ikuto. "Hoshina Utau?! _You're _her brother?!"

Ikuto nodded boredly. "And I guess I should ask who you are…so who are you?"

"I'm Yamamoto Lulu de Morcerf." Lulu replied happily. "I was born in France, but moved to Japan a while ago. My father is a famous cook and my mother is an actress."

"Well, it seems you two have something in common." Amu pointed out as Tadase got off of the bed. "You both have famous families."

"Amu-san, let's look at you, now." Meridian said.

Amu nodded and stood up. Tadase limped past and took the spot that Amu was sitting in.

"You okay?" she asked quietly to him.

He nodded. "Fine. Thanks."

Amu smiled and walked up to the bed. She hopped up onto it and allowed Kanako and Meridian to look her over.

"How are your cuts?" Kanako asked.

"Fine. The one on my right leg really hurts again though." Amu replied, wincing as Meridian touched the cut she was talking about.

"I see…well, it seems the gauze got cut open somehow." She said. "Could that have to do with this 'attack'?"

"Maybe…" Amu muttered.

"Ah, so it does…" Kanako giggled at Amu's nervousness. "Well, we'll get that fixed quickly."

"Hold on a second." Meridian said. "Why is the gauze on your other leg missing?"

Amu blushed and looked away. "I was, er, going to use it on Tadase-kun's leg because it was freshly changed and didn't have blood on it, but I dropped it…"

The nurses giggled and Kanako said, "Well, you sure do care about your friends, Amu-san."

"Well, of course!" Amu said, watching Meridian grab 2 strips of gauze from a cabinet. "They're my friends; I can't just abandon them when they need me most!"

Meridian smiled at Amu and removed the gauze on her right leg. "You have a lot of good characteristics, Amu-san. Loyalty, kindness. That could be helpful in the future."

Amu blushed at the compliment. "I don't think it's _that _good…I mean…I was raised to treat my friends like I treat my family. It's just the way I am."

She winced as Meridian put some disinfectant on her open cuts. Meridian put the bottle down and looked at Amu.

"Sorry, dear. Disinfectant helps the body. Unfortunately, it hurts." Meridian said.

She wrapped the left leg, then wrapped the other. After securing the gauze, she helped Amu get off of the bed and looked at Tadase.

"These attacks seem to be happening a lot with you." She pointed out. "Should we call the police or something? You obviously know what the attacker looks like."

Amu hesitated. She wanted to say yes, since she _did_ threaten Saaya she'd call the cops if she didn't stop…but she didn't _actually _have the guts to do it. She sighed and glanced at Tadase.

"I…I, uh, know her personally. She goes to my school." Amu admitted. She looked at Tadase for a few seconds and asked him, "Can I…tell them your relationship with her…?"

Tadase nodded. "Sure."

"Tadase-kun…well, she was his girlfriend once…" Amu added, nervously. "He explained to me they broke up a year ago because she uh…tried to have _it _with him."

"Perhaps could it have been sexual assault?" Kanako asked. The question was directed towards Tadase.

He shrugged. "I guess…I mean…it's not like she randomly came up to me and forced me to have sex with her. Still, it was quite startling."

"Alright, so shall we call the cops or not?" Meridian asked.

Amu hesitated, wanting to say yes, but found herself shaking her. "I…want to show my school principle some…things she gave me. So she can get suspended or expelled."

"Alright, Amu-san." The nurses said.

Then Meridian took out a note pad and wrote in it. She ripped out the page and handed it to me. "Here, take this. Call us if you need talk to an adult other than your parents."

Amu nodded and took the sheet of paper, which held their phone numbers. "Thanks…well, we'll be leaving."

The girls nodded back and smiled. "Bye, Amu-san, Tadase-kun."

With that, Amu, Tadase, Ikuto and Lulu left the room and walked out of the hospital.

~•~

Ikuto's voice ran through the seemingly empty and silent house as he called out Tadase's fathers' name. He waited for a response, but when he got nothing, he walked deeper into the house and looked around. While Ikuto looked for Tadase's dad, Amu, Lulu and Tadase found their way into his room and Amu placed him on his bed.

He looked at her, his tired eyes shining with gratitude. "Arigatou, Amu-chan."

For a second, it looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated. When he found his train of thought and tried to speak again, he got interrupted when he heard Ikuto's voice.

"Guys, you might want to see this." Ikuto called as he walked down the hall. He stood at the doorframe and leaned on it, waiting for someone to take the paper he was holding.

Amu stood up from the bed and took the letter from Ikuto. She walked in with Ikuto trailing behind her. Amu sat back where she was on Tadase's bed where he could see the note from his father.

"Oh, boy…" Amu muttered.

Tadase nodded in agreement and read it out loud.

"'_Dear Tadase, _

_I have some work to do for tonight and tomorrow morning. I'll be back at around 10AM._

_I left some money for food, and if you need anything else, call Ikuto-kun. _

_If there's an emergency, please call me. Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone._

_~Love, Dad.'_"

"Well, great." Amu mumbled bitterly. "There goes the idea to get the spawn of Satan expelled or suspended."

Lulu, who had sat down at the foot of the bed. She didn't know how to help, but she said, "Well, out best bet is to wait until tomorrow."

"Yeah." Ikuto agreed. "It's getting late, too, so you girls should start heading home."

Amu noticed Ikuto's look lingered on Lulu for a while, but he glanced at Amu and smiled. It looked a little mischievous, but Amu figured that's what he always looked like when he smiled. Amu glanced over at Tadase.

"What about—?" Amu tried to ask but Ikuto shushed her by putting a finger against her lip, causing her to blush.

"I'll stay for the night." He said. "I live right next door anyways, so it won't be hard for me to get anything I need."

"But—" Amu tried again.

"I've got this, Amu." Ikuto insisted more forcedly. "I've known Tadase longer than you have. I know how to take care of him. Just go home and get some rest. I'll call you when Tsukasa gets back. So you can give him whatever you wanted to give to him."

Amu nodded. "But…I suggest you look at the notes…so you have a just on what's going on."

She took the two notes from her pocket. "This one is from when Saaya first started hating me on my second day of school." She pointed to the one on the left and Ikuto took it. "And this one is after I got my first 'strike' today…And now we're here."

Ikuto took the other note, read both of them and nodded grimly. "Well, sorry, Amu. You seem to need as much help as you can get. I'll see if I can get Tsukasa to let me visit the school for the next few days. To keep an eye on you, uh, I mean the chick."

Amu tilted her head at Ikuto's 'mess up', but nodded. "Alright…C'mon Lulu, we'll walk home together."

"I can get my parents to drive us if you like." Lulu suggested. "It's getting pretty dark."

Amu shook her head, "No, I should be fine. Tadase-kun's house isn't far from mine."

Lulu shrugged. "Suit yourself. Call me tomorrow."

"Yup, I will. Ja-ne, Lulu. Ja-ne, Tadase-kun." Amu waved and walked away.

Tadase wanted to call her back for a hug, but hesitated and glanced at Ikuto, who was watching Lulu as she walked out of the room on her phone.

"Pretty girl, isn't she?" he muttered.

"Amu-chan?" Tadase asked. "Yeah, she is."

"I meant Lulu…but Amu is pretty cute too."

Tadase narrowed his eyes at Ikuto suspiciously. "You like her, don't you? Amu-chan, I mean."

Ikuto shrugged casually. "Meh, she's cute. But I'd rather treat her like I treat Utau. That Lulu girl…she seems nice."

Tadase looked at Ikuto in shock. "Well…good."

Without leaving any room for questions, Tadase told Ikuto to go get something for him to eat.__

* * *

_**N/A: Oh, look. Luluto. At least it's better than Amuto, ne[right]? No? ...Well sorry.**_

_**Tadase is glad Ikuto doesn't like-like Amu. Ohh~ ;D There will be some things considered 'Amuto' in some chapters, maybe. But nothing too...Manga Ikuto-y (Ikuto acts a lot more...awkward in the manga compared to in the anime. So many differences too. Like...Tadase looks so OMG dgdfhjn)**_

_**Enough of my talking about the manga. Until next time, ja-ne~**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Yes, this is finally finished. After a long writers block, I finally thought of something and jotted it down. I'm not sure whether to call this a long chapter or a short chapter, so let's just say it's in between.**_

_**I'm sorry...but this chapter is story-ception, since there's technically going to be a story inside of a story. You'll see what I mean when you read it...Yeah, not much to say now, so enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara! or it's characters. Just this story. **_

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 22: Amu's Rough Night

Amu was worried. Worried about Tadase, mostly, but also worried about what would happen if Saaya found her before she got to Tadase's house the next morning. It was easy to tell she was worried about Tadase, too because when she got home, all she wanted to do was call him. Just to see if he was still okay. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair fretfully.

"Ugh! Why am I so worried about him?" she wondered out loud.

She sighed again as she tried to figure out what to do. Her life was so boring when she wasn't around friend. Then she realized the friend she hung out with most was Tadase. Does that mean she missed Tadase when he wasn't around? She wracked her brain trying to figure that out, but eventually ended up falling asleep.

Her dreams took her to a world of pain and horror. A world with no mercy and no help. Every single time she dreamed, she'd always wake up a few minutes later clutching her chest. The night seemed to never end, since just when she drifted back to sleep, the same dream overwhelmed her and woke her up again and again.

If you were to ask her what the dream was about, Amu probably wouldn't be able to explain anything. She would just say it scared her. Even though the dream wouldn't particularly be called 'scary', since it mostly had to do with herself losing all of her friends, thus lacking any support when she needed it. Amu had never gone a week without talking to or visiting a friend. Friends were like her family. If she didn't have friends, well, she'd be nothing.

Each time she'd fall asleep, her dreams would take away another friend, leaving her with less hope on a happy life. Each dream, she'd wake up more and more terrified. It felt like the nighttime would never end because each time she'd look at her clock, it would always be only 10 minutes since the last time she'd checked the time.

Finally, at around midnight, she gave up trying to get some sleep and got out of her bed. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, having no idea what to do while she was awake, but not wanting to go back to bed. So far her repetitive dreams took away half of her old friends and Lulu. She didn't need to, nor did she dare think about, losing Tadase.

"Man, I'm so tired." Amu muttered walking down stairs, hoping her family was already fast asleep.

She felt a little bitter towards them. Because they were probably having happy dreams. Or at least happier dreams than she did. Everything bad happened to her. First, having an enemy she didn't even want (the enemy also known as Saaya), then having her attack her twice and threaten to kill her. Then causing Tadase to get injured, and now this.

_What else do you have for me, world?! _Amu thought sarcastically.

She opened the refrigerator door for no apparent reason since she wasn't hungry then closed it again. She just wanted something to do to keep her mind occupied. Anything, just so she didn't think about losing Tadase or anyone else… But what could she do? Everyone was asleep at this time of the night, so she couldn't call anyone. She sighed and lazily made her way to the couch.

"Ugh, might as well watch TV…" she mumbled, curling up against the arm of the baby blue couch. "Got nothing better to do…"

She grabbed the remote from the coffee table in front of her and turned the television on. As she turned it on, life decided to be cruel and made the power go out. Any power that was on shut off and Amu was sitting in the dark, all alone.

She sat up and punched the pillow she was leaning on. Then, with a sigh of frustration, she stood up and groped around the room to find either a candle, lighter, or flashlight. She bumped into multiple things, almost even breaking a vase. Thankfully, she caught it. Finally, she found her way into the kitchen and tried to remember where the candles were kept.

Her lips drawn tight, Amu opened a cabinet that took her way to long to find. Grabbing the nearest thing that felt waxy, she pulled it out and flicked the lighter she'd found a few minutes before. The room was bathed in a yellow-orange light, making it slightly brighter. She brought the fire to the wick of the candle, and extinguished the fire from the lighter with a simple blow.

"Well…I know I won't be able to sleep…so I guess I'll do some writing…" she muttered as she carried the candle around to look for some paper to write on.

She walked towards the door and rummaged around in her school bag, knowing there were some paper and a pen somewhere in there. She successfully found it, picked up the candle from the side table by the door, and made her way to the dining room table to write whatever came into her mind. Maybe she could write something to get rid of those dreams of hers. Like, writing each of them up with a happier ending.

With a sigh, Amu dug deep into her mind of a way to start her little story or whatever. She decided to start out with her dream about losing her best female friend, Nadeshiko. Amu bit her lip and started to write slowly, making sure not to mess anything up.

'_I stood in front of my old school. It had only been 2 months since I'd left, but really, it felt like several years. I watched as all of the students pooled out and spotted an old friend of mine. Fujisaki Nadeshiko or just Nade for short; she'd been with me since Kindergarten. We were inseparable, and I was sad to leave her. She promised me we'd hang out after I moved schools. _

_That promise never happened. Well, not yet. I haven't had a chance to call her. I was spending too much time with Tadase. I noticed Nade walking down the sidewalk towards me. She looked overjoyed to see me. I was feeling likewise. _

"_Amu-chan!" she called out gleefully. She ran up to me and hugged me. I hugged her back. "God, it's been so long!"_

_I pulled back and smiled. "Yeah…about 2 months now."_

_We started walking and she asked, "How's the new school? Meet anyone new?"_

_I nodded. "Couple people…I joined the student council, so yeah." I decided it was best to mention something now. "And…your brother."_

_Nade looked flustered. "B-brother? W-what brother?"_

_I rolled my eyes. "I know you have a twin brother, Nade." _

_Nade sighed. "Uh, sorry for not telling you about him…"_

"_No, it's fine." I said grabbing her arm gently. We crossed the street._

_I didn't even see the car coming until I heard a honk. I was sure to dive away quickly, but Nade was still walking, obviously not paying attention, probably in her own cloud-9, happy I was back._

"_Nade!" I shouted in fear of losing my best friend._

_She jerked out of her trance and looked in front of her. Eyes wide, she froze, to shocked and afraid to do anything. As fast as I could, I reached for her hand and pulled away from the front of the car just as it…'_

Amu didn't remember anything after that. She must have fallen asleep, too, because the next time she lifted her head, there was a blanket wrapped around her. She smelled bacon and eggs, too. She realized she was lying on the couch and sat up.

"Oh, good, you're up." She heard her mother say from the next room. "When I walked in this morning, you were fast asleep in the dining room with a candle next to you and papers under your arms. Why were you in there?"

Amu looked towards the kitchen. Her mom was just in her vision. "I, uh, couldn't sleep and the power went out, so I went to write in the kitchen, but I guess I fell asleep…"

Amu saw her mother's head bob up and down in a nod. "What were those papers? They said something about Nadeshiko-chan."

Amu removed the blanket from around her and stood up. "It was…nothing, really." She lied. She looked at the time and perked up. "Did anyone call?"

"At this hour? No, why?"

"…Oh, no reason. I'll…be going to my room now." Amu stretched and made her way to the steps that led to the second floor and her bedroom.

"Breakfast will be ready in 30 minutes." Amu's mother called as Amu bounded up the stairs and into her room.

Amu sighed and slammed her room door closed. She sat on her bed and picked up her cellphone from the nightstand next to her bed. Quickly, she dialed up Tadase's number and held the phone up to her ear hopefully.

* * *

_**And, that's it for now. To be honest...the story Amu was writing seemed more interesting than this one...Lol. OTL**_

_**I'm sorry for leaving it off in such a messy manner...I wanted it to be some kind of cliff hanger. I don't think I succeeded though. xD Hope you liked it~ Keep an eye out and I'll make sure to update as quick as possible...unless I get too lazy...rofl.**_

_**Ja-ne~ ^^**_


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Hi there, everyone! I think this fan fic is finally nearing it's end! (Not sure whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing for you guys, but for me it's a good thing, 'cause then I can either re-start Marry You, or just post a new fan fic entirely.) We're getting closer to Tsukasa finding out Saaya has been harassing Amu! Then there will be a confession chapter. And that's probably going to be it. **

**Anyways, I am quite happy to say that this chapter has quite a bit of fluff! Also, it's overly long (to me), so hopefully, that works as an apology for being so slow at updating. There are just so many fanfiction ideas in my mind. I get really sidetracked. Also, I have a question-would you guys read other fanfictions of my other than SC! Tadamu ones (like K-Pop, fics for other animes, etc.) if I were to post them? Because I have tons of other fics on my computer that are dying to be read by others. Answer that in a review please. ^^ Anyhow, time for the review replies. 3**

**AquaBluey: Yeah, I don't even know why I did that dream idea thing. I...though it would be a good idea. xD I guess it was if people like you liked it. xD Here's the next chapter. 3**

**Blue-chan (I forgot your full user. Sorry; I'll just call you blue-chan from now on then. xD): Here's the update you wanted missy. Enjoy it, since there probably won't be another chapter for a while 'cause I'm such a slacker.**

**Dana(I haven't been on here in so long. I hope that's what you said I could call you...^^;)-chan: Hah, thanks. c: No, no. THAT'S not a weird dream. MY dreams are weird. You should hear them sometimes... -awkward laugh-**

**Becca-chan (if I may call you that): I don't really know where I was going with that, but she was going to pull Nade away from the car and save her, unlike what happened in her dream (Nade gets hit by the car with Amu noticing after it was too late).**

**Oh, may I mention, there's one Japanese word I don't think I've mentioned in here. I'll cover that at the end.**

* * *

**Love vs. Jealousy**

Chapter 23: An interesting morning

"_What is it?_" answered a tired voice.

Amu rolled her eyes at Ikuto's laziness. "It's 10 in the morning, Ikuto. How are you still tired?"

"_Because I've been up all night, baka*_." Ikuto replied, annoyed. "_Tadase had me do stuff for him almost every hour. Getting a drink, fluffing his pillow, leveling his bad leg, you know…_"

"Is Tadase-kun awake still?" Amu asked.

"_No. He finally got into a dead-sleep._" Ikuto replied. "_…But, why are you up so early? You seem like the type of person who sleeps in on a weekend._"

"How would you know?" Amu questioned harshly. "You barely even know me!"

"_Hey, calm down. I said 'you seem' not 'you are'!_" Ikuto retorted. "_Now, you didn't answer my question._"

"It's none of your business, okay?" Amu replied, annoyed suddenly.

"_Whoa, alright…It seems you're the one that's still tired._" Ikuto teased. "_Anyhow, why did you call so early?_"

"I just wanted to check up on Tadase-kun…" Amu replied sheepishly. "…So, how's he been?"

"_Why don't you come over? I'm kinda lonely,_" Ikuto said. Amu couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. "_…and, I'm sure Tadase would be happy to see you when he wakes up._"

The way Ikuto spoke was as if he actually wanted _Amu's _company. Though she wouldn't mind going over to see how Tadase was coping. And it would be nice to have a new guy friend. Especially an older one that knows about Tadase. Amu agreed and told Ikuto she'd be over in 15-20 seconds, then said goodbye and closed her phone.

"Well, I guess I should get dressed then…" she mumbled to herself, hopping off of her bed.

She walked towards her closet and pulled its doors open. Glancing at all of her clothing, she wondered what she could wear. She pulled out a few different outfits, but put them back away. Finally, she pulled out a black, leather like skirt, a white camisole, and a black lace blouse.

She looked herself in the mirror, then slipped her hair into a half pony and added a cross hairclip to keep her bangs out of the way. Satisfied, she walked down stairs, just in time to grab a quick breakfast. She finished her breakfast quickly, then told her mother she'd be going out.

"Where would you need to go on a weekend like this so early?" her mother asked.

"I'm…going out to visit a friend." Amu replied nervously.

"Well, alright…" Amu's mother said reluctantly. "But be careful."

"I will." Amu muttered.

She walked out of the dining room and slipped on her black studded high tops that just happened to match her shorts, then grabbed a light jacket and left the house without another word. As Amu walked, she couldn't help but wonder what Ikuto felt for her…though she didn't know why she even cared.

She sighed and looked around her, wondering if there was any secret route to Tadase's house. Just in case Saaya was lurking around, stalking Tadase. Amu tilted her head, thinking, and came to conclusion that if there _were _secret routes, Saaya would most likely be there. She gave a sigh of relief, knowing she should be safe.

Amu arrived at Tadase's house and hesitated slightly before quietly knocking on the door. There was a moment of silence and Amu wondered if she didn't knock loud enough and considered knocking on the door again. Then, the door opened, revealing a tired looking Ikuto, barely able to stand up straight.

"Holy crow, Ikuto!" Amu exclaimed without thinking. "You look awful! Are you _really _that tired?"

Ikuto rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I thought you were worried about Tadase."

Amu blushed and turned her head away. "I—I never said I was worried about him! I was just…concerned…!"

"You do know concerned and worried are practically the same thing…" Ikuto said smartly. "…Right?"

Amu turned beet red and she crossed her arms angrily. "W-well…are you going to let me in or not?"

Ikuto chuckled and moved to open the door wider so Amu could go inside the house. Amu walked in, still a little miffed at Ikuto's smartarse comment, and looked around. She then turned back towards Ikuto, who was lazily making his way towards her.

Amu sighed as she watched Ikuto. "Ikuto, go lay down; I'll take care of whatever needs to be done in the house."

Ikuto hesitated for a moment. "Well…" Amu crossed her arms at him and he sighed reluctantly. "Fine. I'll be in the guest room, then."

With that, Ikuto wandered off leaving Amu alone in the main room. She looked around, then wandered around, hoping to find the kitchen. Maybe she could make breakfast for Tadase...and Ikuto, Amu added mentally.

She successfully found the kitchen after remembering where it was the first time she'd been to Tadase's house, then looked around, thinking about what she could make. She settled on simply making eggs with tea. As she cooked the eggs, she looked around for some tea and a teapot, trying to think of which type of tea Tadase liked.

The eggs finished and Amu quickly went to it before she tended to the tea. She put the eggs on a plate and placed it down on the counter so she could pour the tea. She left enough tea and eggs for Ikuto, then slowly walked over to Tadase's room with his breakfast on a tray.

Hesitantly, she slid the door—which was slightly ajar—with her foot and looked at Tadase with an almost longing expression. As she watched him, she realized she didn't want to wake him up. He looked serene and peaceful—almost angelic—while he slept. Well, more angelic than he did when he was awake. Unfortunately, Amu knew she'd have to wake him up eventually, and before the eggs and tea went cold. She gently placed the tray on the edge of the bed, just beneath where Tadase's feet were rested, watching just in case his legs jerked and knocked the tray off the bed.

After another moment of staring at Tadase, Amu knelt down and nudged Tadase, gently saying, "Tadase-kun—it's time to wake up."

Tadase twitched for a second and Amu instinctively put her hand on the tray. Then she picked it up and placed it on her knees to keep it from further unsteadiness. She nudged him again, but got the same reaction as before. She almost gave up, but then she had an idea. It was daring, but it had to work. She could feel the heat of the eggs slowly disappearing from the bottom of the tray.

Slowly, she leaned forward. She stopped and thought for a second—what would be more effective? A kiss on the cheek or a kiss on the lips? She didn't want to kiss him on the lips again, but she feared that it was the best way to wake him up. Reluctantly, she leaned forwards once again and gently pecked Tadase's lips. When that didn't work, she tried once more, but made sure it wasn't just a light brush this time.

Tadase's eyes snapped open and Amu quickly pulled back, glancing away sheepishly. She wasn't trying to seem like she didn't kiss him; she was just embarrassed, and she hated to say it, but she wanted to kiss him again. Tadase blinked and focused his eyes on Amu, half with surprise; half with amusement. He smiled and reached out towards Amu. He made her face him, then swiftly and gently pressed him lips against Amu's. A small gasp came from Amu and she felt tense, but then she relaxed. She shivered with excitement and shock.

Tadase pulled back, looking a little nervous. Amu opened her mouth. Shut it. Opened it once more. She couldn't get a word out. She was utterly speechless. She completely forgot about his breakfast, and when she did, she was relieved to find out the eggs and tea was perfectly fine. She picked up the tray, finally able to say something.

"D-dozo*…" she stammered awkwardly, holding the tray to Tadase, not meeting his gaze. "I-I made this…f-for you…"

Tadase smiled and took it gratefully. "Arigatou, Amu-chan. Though I don't know why you're here so early, I appreciate that you made me breakfast."

Amu nodded. "I-I'm sorry if it's not enough…I don't know how to cook anything besides eggs and ramen…"

Tadase shook his head. "Iie, its fine."

Amu looked up and smiled, despite her face being completely red still. Tadase smiled back and sat up, patting the spot in front of him as he shifted his position and put the tray in front of his legs, which were now crossed. Amu stood up and crawled on the bed, sitting in front of Tadase like he gestured. She sat on her knees and placed her hands in her lap.

"So, why did you come here so early?" Tadase asked, picking up the fork to eat the eggs. "Eggs usually take a bit to make, and I see you also added tea, so that takes even more time…so I'm just going to guess you came at around 10 or 10:30…"

Amu hesitated, wondering whether she should tell Tadase about her dream. She decided not to, and just said, "I was worried, that's all," with a nonchalant shrug.

She normally wasn't good at acting or lying—even though what she said wasn't a complete lie—but she just hoped Tadase wouldn't notice. He did. After a second of examining Amu's face, that is. He looked right into Amu's eyes and sighed.

"I see…" he mumbled almost dejectedly as he glanced back down at his eggs. He ate a couple bites before continuing, "You're keeping something from me, aren't you?"

"It's nothing, really." Amu replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "I swear. And if it was, it wouldn't be of any importance to you."

Tadase gave a bitter chuckle and shook his head. "You don't understand Amu-chan…"

Amu looked up, surprised slightly. "H-huh?"

"You don't understand how much importance everything you say is to me." Tadase replied. He looked into Amu's eyes; he was dead serious now. "I know there's something bugging you. It's not Ikuto nii-san, is it?"

Amu shook her head. She stared back at Tadase with a nervous stare and said nothing. She didn't know what to say in the first place. She bit her lip awkwardly. Tadase sighed and reached towards Amu. Amu was confused at the action, unsure of what Tadase wanted.

"C'mere…" he muttered softly. "You look distressed. Talk to me, Amu-chan. You can trust me with anything."

Amu looked at Tadase in shock. But, she obeyed his command and moved closer to Tadase. He moved the platter from his lap and put it on the floor, then reached over and gently pulled Amu towards him so that her head was almost on his shoulder. Amu froze, unsure what to do.

"Calm down." He said, noticing Amu's tenseness. "Just relax and talk to me. What's bugging you?"

"Honestly, it's nothing you want to hear…" Amu muttered quietly.

Tadase made Amu look at him. "Amu-chan, no matter what you say, I won't do anything irrational, stupid, or crazy. Tell me what it is. Please."

Amu swallowed and opened her mouth. Her words came out slowly and steadily. "Last night, I couldn't sleep at all…It—it was a dream that kept reoccurring."

Tadase rubbed Amu's arm. "What was the dream about?"

"T-they were about my friends…" Amu replied, breathing in and out slowly to keep herself from sobbing. "But—but it was just that. The dreams just kept taking them away from me cruelly…"

"Taking them away from you? How? And was I one of them?" Tadase asked.

"Taking them away from me by—by—by…k-killing them." Amu replied to the first questions bitterly. She broke down then. She tried to hide her tears with her hair, but it was hard, since Tadase kept insisting she keep eye contact with him.

"W-was I one of them?" He asked again, a little nervously this time.

Amu shook her head. "I—I decided not to sleep after the dream killed 3 of my old friends. I…I couldn't risk losing you. Even if it was a dream…it—it scared me. I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight."

Tadase wrapped his other arm around the front side of her, pulling her into an awkward, almost sideways, hug. "Amu-chan…I'm sorry. I want to help you; I really do. But—I don't know how…"

Amu, whose face was buried against Tadase's shoulder, shook her head. She tried to speak, but choked up. She tried again. "N-no, Tadase-kun…It's fine. I know you won't be able to help…" she took a breath and continued talking, "This…is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd want to try and help me…"

Tadase pulled back, abruptly wanting to ask Amu how she felt about the kiss. He also kind of wanted to apologize for being so sudden, and quite selfish, too. He bit his lip, trying to refrain from saying anything about the kiss. As he bit his lip, he couldn't help think about it, though.

"About what happened…" he said quickly. He mentally slapped himself for letting it slip out.

Amu looked over sharply, a shocked and embarrassed expression on her face. It was cute, Tadase though. She yelped a high pitch "Huh?"

"A-about that…k-kiss…" Tadase continued. He'd already said it; there was no turning back now. "I'm really sorry…it was a little sudden. I was shocked when I felt someone's lips against mine when you tried to wake me up. B-but when I opened my eyes and saw it was you…" he trailed off, not wanting to say anything that sounded like a confession. "It happened too quickly. I'm sorry. It was selfish of me to do that…"

Amu stayed silent. Though she didn't want to admit it, deep down inside of her, she realized she actually _liked _the kiss. It was gently and soft. She sighed and simply shook her head, unsure how to reply. When she finally thought of something that was something really daring for someone like her, she heard the door of the house slide open, then close.

"Tadase? I'm back!" Tsukasa's—Tadase's father—voice rang through the house.

Both Amu and Tadase jumped off the bed and looked at each other. They both knew what they were going to do, now. But first, Amu had to wake up Ikuto to get the notes, since—she realized quickly—she'd accidently left them with Ikuto.

* * *

**So, how did you guys like this chapter? I know I left it off awkwardly...I remembered I didn't make Amu take the notes back from Ikuto, and her outfit doesn't even have pockets, so I made it so Ikuto had them still. **

**The one word I've used in here:**

**Dozo: I think it can mean a variety of things. In this sense, I made it mean 'here', which is the commonly used meaning, I think...I ain't no expert and Japanese, ya know.**

**Enjoy~**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: 'Sup guys? I seem to have a habit of taking a really long time to post my chapters. Even though I had a long weekend that went from Friday til today (I go back to school tomorrow). I'm so lazy. I'm sorry. I've also been working on other fan fics because...I'm weird and write 5 fanfictions at a time...And no, it doesn't get confusing. :P **

**Finally, here we are with a new chapter. Some fluff in here yaay! Not sure what else to say. So...enjoy, and here's the disclaimer! (Which I seem to keep forgetting to add in here...)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara! or it's characters. Only the setting, OOC-ness, and some other random stuff I can't think of. xD **

* * *

_**Love vs. Jealousy**_

_**Chapter 24: What does she think of him?**_

Tsukasa was quiet as Amu explained what was going on with Saaya and herself. He nodded when necessary, but only spoke when Amu was finished. Tadase also piped in with random yet helpful facts. He also explained about his injured leg. Tsukasa looked disappointed and concerned that is son got hurt by his own ex-girlfriend, but otherwise, didn't look much surprised.

"I never really liked that girl anyways." He said once Amu and Tadase were finished talking. Amu could hear a bit of bitterness in his voice. "I'm so sorry she did that to you, Amu-chan. Though tomorrow is Sunday, I'll call her parents and tell her to go to the school then."

"Do…I have to come?" Amu asked hesitantly.

Tsukasa shook his head. "Iie, not unless you want to. Tadase might want to come, though."

"I won't go unless Amu-chan comes with me." Tadase said defiantly. "She's part of this, too. Actually, she has everything to do with this. I'm just simply an ex who happens to be close to the victim."

Amu looked over at Tadase in shock. "B-b-but Tadase-kun! Who knows what she'll do if she sees me there? She might call me a tattletale and claim everything is a lie."

"She's probably going to do that anyways." Tadase said. "And if she tries to touch you one more time, I'll take care of her. Once and for all."

Amu stared at Tadase, eyes wide. All she could get out was, "Ta—Tadase-kun…"

Tadase just smiled at her. "Don't worry, Amu-chan, I've got your back."

Amu blushed and shied away. Why was Tadase being so nice? Well, Tadase was always nice to Amu, but…he was never _this _nice. It wasn't like Amu didn't like the attention, though. She loved it. It made her feel, well, loved.

"Well, I'll be leaving." Tsukasa popped in. He flashed a smile at Amu. "Call me if you need me."

With that, Tsukasa stalked out of the room, leaving Amu and Tadase alone. Ikuto had fallen asleep again, so they were pretty much all alone. There was a silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Tadase occasionally glanced at Amu and smiled.

Finally, Amu said, "So…Saaya's finally going to get busted."

"Yup." Tadase replied. "I'm sorry she caused you trouble, by the way."

Amu looked at Tadase. "Why are _you _sorry? Saaya should be the one who's sorry." Then she scoffed. "Like she'd ever apologize to me, though."

"Exactly." Tadase said. "So, I'm apologizing for her, since I care more about you than she does."

Amu blushed. "Y-you care about me?"

Tadase chuckled. "Why else would I be here, with an injured leg, helping you get Saaya, my ex-girlfriend, busted for bullying you? Of _course _I care about you. You're my friend." _I care about you more than you know. _

"So…you care enough to…k-kiss me?" Amu suddenly asked.

"I—it…" Tadase didn't know what to say. Should he confess right then, or should he lie?

Thankfully, Ikuto saved him by walking into the room. He asked, "What did I hear about a kiss?"

Amu waved her hands in front of her face, flustered. "I-it's nothing, Ikuto…!"

Ikuto shrugged and sat down next to Tadase. "So, you told Tsukasa about this Saaya chick?"

Amu nodded. "Yeah. He said he's going to call her parents and have her go to the school tomorrow even though it's a Sunday."

"So, I'm assuming you don't need me to come to your school and watch out for Saaya?"

Amu shrugged. "I mean, I don't see why you'd have to—she's either going to get suspended or expelled. I'm sure Tadase-kun can handle her. But, you can do it if you like."

Amu looked at her the time and sighed. "I should get going. Mama might get worried. Call me later, 'kay, Tadase-kun?"

Tadase nodded. "Sure thing. Allow me walk you home."

Amu laughed and stood up. "You can barely walk and you want to walk me home? Since you asked politely, I'll let you come. But I'm not exactly sure how you're going to get back with a leg like that."

"I guess I could call Ikuto." Tadase replied.

Ikuto looked annoyed at the fact that he had to tend to Tadase again, but it seemed like no one was paying attention. He stayed quiet, pretending not to be paying attention.

"They really should have given you crutches." Amu complained. "I can't bear seeing you try to walk with an injured leg."

"I see you care about me, too." Tadase noted with a small smile.

"Well, yeah. You're my best friend." Amu smiled and held her hand down to help Tadase up.

Tadase grinned, grabbing Amu's hand. "Nii-san, be sure to come over when I call."

Ikuto just nodded and watched as they left, Tadase never really letting go of Amu's hand. Even when Amu protested that he let go, Tadase just chuckled and gripped her hand tighter. Ikuto almost smiled at that. Then he shook his head and went back into the guestroom.

"I told you to let go of my hand!" Amu complained when they were halfway to her house and Tadase was still griping into her hand.

"I don't want to." Tadase said with a casual shrug. He gave a smile Amu hadn't seen before. He looked at her. "Admit it; you don't _want _me to let go, do you?"

Amu hesitated. "Um…"

Tadase laughed. "I'm kidding." He let go of Amu's hand. "You're funny; you know that, Amu-chan?"

Amu laughed back awkwardly. "Ha-ha…yeah…"

Suddenly, Tadase jerked forwards, nearly falling over. He grabbed Amu's arm to catch his fall. Amu gave a concerned glance at Tadase and helped him get steady. She didn't need to take him to the hospital again.

"What's wrong, Tadase-kun?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

Tadase nodded, "Hai, daizoubu. I just tripped on an uneven sidewalk crack."

Amu sighed in relief. "Oh, good. I thought your leg had started giving you problems again. I was going to take you to the hospital again."

"You were worried, weren't you, Amu-chan?" Tadase asked.

"Well of course!" Amu replied. She looked down. "It was my fault you got hurt anyways."

"Amu-chan, don't say that!" Tadase demanded.

"But it's true!" Amu insisted. "If I hadn't have met you, none of this would have happened."

Tadase froze. "…Amu-chan…you actually feel this way?"

Amu nodded. "If I had just shaken you off like I do with most other people, I would have never met jealous Saaya and Saaya wouldn't have threatened me…or hurt me. Or…hurt you."

Tadase stared at Amu for a second. The look on Amu's face showed she could start crying at any moment. Tadase gathered Amu into his arms. He petted her hair and tried to calm her nerves. Amu hugged back, burying her face against Tadase sweater.

"Don't cry, Amu-chan…" he whispered. "It's fine. You're fine; I'm fine. There's nothing wrong."

"But—but Saaya is out to get me!" Amu exclaimed. "And it's all because I bumped into you and found you…" Amu trailed off, realizing what she was about to say.

"You found me what?" Tadase asked. He pulled back a bit to look at Amu.

"N-nanimonai…" Amu muttered meekly. She broke away from Tadase. "L-let's hurry up…"

Tadase opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. Now was not the time. Amu was already walking way, anyways. Tadase sighed and followed behind her, keeping his distance. When they arrived at her house, Amu opened the door. She turned stopped in the doorway and turned around.

"Do you want to know what I thought of you when I first saw you?" she asked sheepishly.

"Sure…" Tadase replied. "What did you think of me?"

"I thought you were attractive." Amu said quickly and quietly.

And before Tadase could do anything, she shut the door.

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**A/N: Empty space. Because I don't think there's any Japanese words in this that I haven't told you...But, if you guys don't know, 'nanimonai' means Nothing...well, I think. :P**


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